In Dubious Battle
by Wolfgang Amadeus
Summary: In a time of post-Galaxia peace, a senshi and her cat struggle with issues of the past, the ennui of the present, and the terrifying future that still might be ahead.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: As always, I appreciate all the wellwishing from the assembled community of and all the support that you guys have given me.  
  
Thanks in particular to my beta, Syrinx, the wonderful person who pointed out my inconsistencies and bad grammar, allowing me to produce a better story, far more quickly than I might be able to.  
  
Shameless plug: And if you haven't read my first fic, 'The Story of the General', please do so immediately after you've read through this one. It's a bunch of fun. Onto the story.  
  
Prologue  
  
Smoke curled up from the ruins. The man looked at it, his eyes and face emotionless. His short black hair wafted gently in the wind. His features might have seemed cruel in an earlier age, but now they expressed only a fraction of the agony that he felt. He had a classically cherubic face with full cheeks and sharp eyes. But they seemed to show only two emotions; pain and equanimity. He pushed those emotions away. Quickly and quietly he set out upon the battlefield.  
Turning over the corpse of a Moon Guard soldier, he quickly searched for any sign of life force, then felt for a pulse. The soldier, no more than twenty five, was dead. The battle had been fought at terrible cost. The entire Moon Guard had been killed and their bodies mutilated. He sighed, then surveyed the landscape. The commander must have been brilliant, he mused. The Moon Guard, outnumbered seventy to one, had held their ground for three brilliant hours buying more time for the Endymion and Serenity's escape. He moved on.  
The senshi had retreated across a field to a more defensible ridge. The trail of youma bodies highlighted their path quite well, he thought ironically.  
The gardens were in ruins. The famed garden palisades and the stunning white roses that grew within them had attracted thousands from all over the solar system. Terran botanists had visited the moon of several occasions in order to create those roses and Mercurian and Lunar architects had drawn up the layout for this room.  
The numbers of enemy officers increased dramatically as he neared the palace. Out of youma to expend, the enemy force had begun to expend its commanders in an attempt to make a finalbreakthrough. A tactic of desperation, for any reasonable force commander would have waited for reinforcements to continue the assault.  
But, he reflected with a grim smile, there were higher goals at stake. Any let up and the royalty would have retreated to the loyalist strongholds to the east. Time was of the essence and Beryl had inspired her soldiers to fight on to the death. It was there that he found the body of the first senshi. Sailor Jupiter's body was surrounded by enemy soldiers, piled atop each other like dominoes. He knelt down quickly, feeling for a pulse. It was a futile gesture, but he had to try.  
As he continued, he felt the taint of dark energy filling the air around him. He gazed around, pulled his own energy around him like a shield, and then moved on.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sixteen year-old awoke to the feeling of fur tickling her nose. Slowly, she pushed herself up and stretched out. Then scooping the white cat up in her arms, she snuggled it close to her body.

"Good morning, Artemis."

In a rather muffled voice, "Good morning, Minako-chan. Stop smothering the cat."

Laughing slightly, she lay back down on bed. It was early and the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Prancing out of bed, she stretched and faced the new day with a sense of unending optimism.

Artemis had taken the opportunity to curl back up onto her pillow, snoozing until Minako shoved him off the bed. He growled and hissed, "What was that for?"

"Early morning, sleepyhead! It's summer and I'm feeling fine!"

He grumbled, "Don't you have summer camp or something? I'd like this summer to be a relatively restful one."

"Aww, missing our nightly defense of the world already? I'm surprised Artemis. I didn't know you were so nostalgic."

The cat sulkily stalked out of the room, "Don't get too comfortable. Usagi may have defeated Chaos, but I'm not sure I want to believe that all of our troubles are over."

Minako shook her head and began to dance around the room with barely restrained glee, "Artemis, you're just too pessimistic. You've got to believe that things will get better."

He retorted, perhaps a little more harshly than he intended, "The last time I did that, Ail and Ann showed up and we were plunged into open warfare for two whole years. Minako-chan, I'm not being pessimistic. I'm being prudent."

She sighed and plucked her robe off a hook next to the door,"Sometimes you need to trust a bit. I have a good feeling about this summer. And even you, my cynical friend, cannot wreck it for me."

"Sometimes fate does not give us such idyllic choices."

Her face twisted into a painful grimace and Artemis immediately regretted his words, "I am sorry Minako-chan. I did not mean to."

"It's is alright, Artemis. It was almost three years ago. I should be over it already." She smiled winningly, but it fooled neither party. That smile hid a deep-seated pain, within her eyes, that only her closest friend could see and truly understand.

Artemis pawed at his whiskers regretfully, "Go shower, Minako-chan. As you said, we should not waste this day."

--------------------

The scenery was flushed with green,as befitting a Massachusetts summertime. The spring rains had just come and gone, leaving in their wake a tidal wave of green grasses and shrubs. Deciduous trees had sprouted permanent new leaves, without the fear of them being stripped by an unseasonal snow flurry or the occasional winds that whistled through the Valley.

And there lay the tiny college nestled among the leaves. Ivy covered brick buildings rose and sank with the contours of the land. Interspersed were numerous modern buildings, bespeaking the wealth behind the school. The lush green New England forest, so different from anywhere else, wreathed the campus with a gentle green glow of life.

Compared to the bustling campuses of the great public and private universities of Michigan or Cornell, it was barely a blip on the proverbial radars of those powerful institutions. But this school of two thousand was far more than an overshadowed piece of the American higher educational system.

Amherst was one of the great independent colleges, in good company with great schools such as Williams and Swarthmore. In an era of increasing specialization, the great liberal arts colleges clung to idea that a well-rounded intellect would triumph in the long run. It matched words to action as Amherst graduates went off to the world to thrive and prosper. Amherst had created graduates that had sat in the Hart Senate Building, led Fortune 500 companies, and generally represented the best and brightest that society could offer.

Perhaps the most apt description had been offered in one of the numerous college guides compiled for the parents of alumni hopefuls. "Amherst is for the curious, those free wheeling exploratory spirits of the modern era, specializing in the training of the Francis Drakes and Jean Lafitte's of all circles of acquaintance: corporate, political, and professional."

Such thoughts brought a smile to the face of Kevin Zhi as he crossed from the student center to the faculty offices of the Asian Studies Department facing them. He breathed in the fresh air and let it go with a hurried puff, as he mulled over the phrase which had attracted him to the school and how his expectations had changed since he had come. Throughout high school the profit motive had burned deeply within him, a tribute to the entrepreneurial bent of his native Boston suburb.

The tech revolution had come just as he had hit puberty. By fourteen, he had purchased his first shares of stock, selling out of Yahoo when it had appreciated three times in less than a year. At the same time, he had invested much of his spare allowance and paper route money into purchasing broken old arcade games. After repairing them, he had placed them in barbershops and family restaurants, charging bored children twenty-five cents each to play an old Pac Man or Galaxian game. Then, sensing the potential cottage industry for websites, he assembled a team of HTML and Shockwave programmers to sell custom built websites to companies too busy to do it themselves.

Finally, his business senses had come through yet again, having the foresight to sell off the website company he had founded to a larger (adult run) competitor for twenty thousand dollars, before the inevitable crash to the dot com bubble.

He had led a charmed life, with more success than any person his age deserved. Yet, the maturity that came after two years of college made him question his affection for such things. Money was nice to have, but the creative spark was gone, the revolutionary schemes seemed now inconsequential, leaving him afloat in a sea of self-doubt and misplaced dreams.

'It's the end of my sophomore year and I have no idea what I'm doing. Good work, Zhi. That's the spirit!' His mouth curved into a sarcastic smile.

Resolutely, he pushed those thoughts from his mind as he scaled the steps up the faculty building. He had an appointment soon. It would not do to be late.

The office was terribly cramped, but in a good sort of way. Sociological and political journals were strewn around the room, filling every available surface, shelves, tables, and chairs included.

The white haired professor behind the desk tossed a pile of papers aside, "Kevin! Glad you could make it! I know you must be terribly busy studying for finals."

Kevin smiled. "Well, to be honest, I wasn't getting too much done. Too much Halo for my own good."

The professor harrumphed. "I hope you've been studying for my final, though."

"Oh yes, professor." Kevin's eyes revealed enigmatic merriment, betraying nothing but amusement. "Day and night, above all else."

The teacher sighed and shook his head, "My students, how they abuse me."

The student grinned, happy for the temporary respite from his own depressing thoughts. "So what's up professor? This can't be about my grades. I'm doing well in your class."

"Indeed you are Kevin. In fact, you have the highest grade in my Modern Japanese Culture class. I came to talk to you about options."

"What do you mean?"

The professor took his glasses off and stared intently at Kevin, "I was wondering what you were thinking of majoring in here at Amherst. I know that major declarations are coming up soon and I was wondering if you might be willing to consider declaring as an Asian Studies major."

A smooth grin crossed his face. A professor, asking him to go to in his department? "I'm not sure, sir. I honestly haven't given it that much thought."

"Tsk, tsk. I would have thought more of you. Well, let me give you a little perspective then.

The professor opened a previously unnoticed folder on his desk and began to flip through it, "Let's see. Mediocre grades in economics and English. A rather unfortunate mark in Art History 101, only partially redeemed in Art History 102. Okay grades in chemistry and biology classes. But in the two other Asian studies classes you've taken, an A and an A minus, quite respectable if you ask me. And if you continue what you've accomplished in my class, you'll balance out that A minus with an A plus in mine.

"Seems to me you've found a calling."

The student shrugged. "I like what I do. I'm not sure I want to major in it though"

"That would be a shame." The professor tossed the folder to the side. "Especially since it might have adverse effects on your grades in my course."

Kevin raised an eyebrow and laughed nervously. "Why does this all of a sudden feel like blackmail?"

"Blackmail? Hardly my intention." The professor smiled cheerfully enough to put that statement into doubt, "Just trying to help you make an informed decision. Besides, I know how much you enjoy the subject. So what do you say?"

He coughed and rubbed away the sweat that had suddenly appeared at the back of his neck, "Entrapment? But...wow. Thanks professor...I think I may have to take you up on your offer."

"Excellent!" The professor jumped to his feet and shook Kevin's hand vigorously. "I look forward to working with you throughout the next few years. Which of course, brings me to topic number two."

"And that is?"

The professor's eyes took on more than a slightly predatory look, "Are you free this summer?"

"Currently, yes. My father has been threatening me with an internship at his company, so I'm open to anything that gets me out of that."

"Well, then I've got something that you might enjoy. I want you to go to Japan with me to do research."

Kevin's eyes widened. "What?"

"I'm doing a project right now that studies the effect of cell phone text messaging on Japanese culture and society and I need someone interested to help me with ground level research. Have you been

keeping up with your Japanese?"

He smiled painfully. "Sorta. I took it during freshman year, but I am sure that I can relearn everything I need to."

"This project with span eight or nine months, which means that you'll need to get into an exchange program for your first semester of next year." The professor rifled through a dozen stacks of paper and then pushed them all off his desk, before identifying what he was looking for, "Now, I have signed all the necessary forms. I trust that you won't be too put out studying at the University of Tokyo. You just need to choose your classes."

"What about the Study Abroad committee? I missed the deadline for Study Abroad by a month at least."

The professor held up a slip of paper, "Already waived you out of it."

"I'll need to call my parents."

"Already have. They give their blessing and are very impressed with your maturity in accepting this assignment."

Kevin laughed disbelievingly. "Aren't there rules against profs treating students like this? You've sewn this up pretty well."

The other man shrugged. "When I see what I want, I go for it. And I want you as a research assistant before you get snapped up by some other department. You're my star student. What do you say?"

The student slumped back, surrendering in gesture if not word. "It's a large decision."

"Is that a yes or no?"

Kevin stared at his professor, evaluating him in terms not unlike a spy would a hostile country. It was INSANE to plan two study abroad semesters in another country this late, much less a summer research program. His inherently cautious nature began to bias his reasoning. There wasn't enough time to consider everything fully and reasonably. If he indeed chose Asian Studies as a major, Kevin would likely get major credits for studying in Japan. It locked him into a single major, a single path in life, for he would very likely be unable to switch once this decisions was made. Regardless of the opportunities it held, it was a very large decision to make in a very short time. 'Hell, the semester ends in less than two weeks! I can't go gallivanting around the world. I need a plan, a clear plan for the future, something...'

'But...' His entrepreneurial instincts began to kick in and a sly smile crossed his face. Kevin knew an opportunity when he saw one. He had always lusted to travel and had vague plans to do so after college. Japan was on the top of his list, not only because of his vested interest in its culture but also its position as the hub of all East Asia. And it was all there, laid out on an academic platter for him to grasp.

"When do we leave?"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He tossed the card at her.

"The ace of hearts..." Minako reached for it with her free hand, but just as it touched her fingers, it shattered into a billion pieces, each out of her reach forever.

"I'll tell your final fortune," The soldier said softly. His eyes locked onto hers, and she felt her love slipping away from her. Venus grabbed back with both hands, even tighter, struggling to maintain her grip. "Your love will be hopeless for all eternity."

Her eyes grew even wider and she stared down at him. The soldier's face was oddly serene, as if death no longer concerned him. But his eyes were tinged with the slightest bit of regret as Minako struggled to pull him back onto the roof. Crystalline tears fell from her eyes and a low moan exited her throat as a bit more of his hand slipped from her grasp. 'Stay with me, Ace. Kami-sama, stay with me!'

"What's wrong? You should look happier. Now you can go on living, without having to torment yourself over the ultimate choice, your love or your duty. Your fate is to continue fighting."

The soldier's eyes closed and he slowly disintegrated in her hands, intoning final words, "Your true battle begins now..."

More tears as she frantically grabbed at the empty air, struggling to touch him, hold him once more. And then, he was gone. Her eyes overflowed again, letting her broken dreams follow to him to the ground.

"Mina..."

--------------------

She jolted suddenly, clutching at her heart for a moment before sitting back. Her hands shook uncontrollably and she felt tears welling up in her eyes again. Artemis, ever the faithful companion, woke up immediately and strutted over to her.

"You were dreaming again, weren't you?"

"Yes, Artemis. I was." Minako wiped away a trace of sweat and then chuckled heavily, "Strange how these dreams come back to haunt me now, with no enemies in sight. You'd think that they would be more inconvenient than that."

Artemis snuggled up against her and purred. "Perhaps, but I think it's the lack of action this time which is causing you to dream again. I am sure that with time your mind will adjust to peace and we can all go back to appreciating a good night's sleep."

"I shall drink a toast to that day."

He licked at his paw, "Well, if you ever need to talk about it-"

"You are always right here. I know Artemis. You and the others are always here for me. But it's just something that I have to work out on my own."

He looked at the girl whom he considered a younger sister with a mixture of disbelief and concern. "It's nowhere as simple as vanquishing an enemy with a random Love and Beauty Shock. If there are problems, you have to air them out."

"I can't believe that you trust me to fight the Dark Agency on my own and won't even trust me to figure out petty personal issues. I can't believe you." Minako smiled warmly, "Trust me, cat. I can deal with it."

Unconvinced, Artemis curled up. "I hope so. It would not do for an enemy to show up while you are in this state."

Minako pretended to be shocked. "I am as ready as I ever have been."

The cat chuckled. "Trust me, you could be better."

Minako sighed and took her ultimate revenge by shoving the cat off the bed. "Never insult a lady whose bed you are sharing."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I speak to Luna." Artemis curled up near a heat vent and was asleep within moments.

Minako giggled at her cat. 'So human...yet still a cat at heart.'

She lay back down, unwilling to sleep yet. Her features transformed from merriment to pain as she pictured those terrible final moments when she had struggled to hold onto him again. A terrible melancholy settled over her and she wiped away at a tear. Every time she closed her eyes, Mina saw the handsome face of Saijou Ace, in those dreadful moments when she could no longer hold him.

And then the anger at him, for deceiving her, and at herself, for falling for him. She could not pass it off as a momentary obsession, for deep in her heart, she pined for him now as much as she had the day she had lost him. Her blue eyes turned their attention to the window by her bed, striving to draw strength from the moon, her duty, her gifted powers. 'My curse.'

Minako flopped back and buried her head in the covers. Come what may, the morning might be better. She could only hope.

--------------------

Kevin fiddled with his pen, completely unable to concentrate on the task at hand. True, it was a final exam. But who could concentrate knowing that in less than a week one would be ten thousand miles away in foreign land, struggling to figure out what was going on. His former lack of focus had been replaced with a razor like fixation, one simply focused on the wrong things.

He stared down at his final exam and chewed at the nib of his pen before scribbling down an answer he thought might be right. He smiled with a little regret. Had he studied more for the exam, he might have had the chance to break from a B grade perhaps into the A/A- range. 'C'est la vie. Lost opportunities.'

He continued on his academic drudgery, for the first time actually focusing on finishing the exam. He had another later in the day and then was free to start packing up his things for the flight to Japan. His parents had even promised to visit later to drop of the many things which he might need for his sojourn. He had never quite felt a thrill like this course through his veins. He could not explain it. Even when focused on his portfolio or myriad business schemes, he had never quite known the cocaine-like rush which accompanied this daring plunge into the unknown. That brought another smile to his face, 'Haven't lost it yet, old boy.'

It was a strange face. His hair was pure black and his eyes a dark brown as befitting his primarily Chinese heritage. Yet, within his eyes, lay tiny flecks of emerald green, hinting at perhaps some more exotic lineage.

The eyes were those of an older man, weary with the world and full of unabashed wisdom, contrasting terribly with the youthful, dimpled cheeks and almost naive smile.

It was not a particularly unique face. In its current state, it was tired, unmemorable, even homely. But with a twitch of an eyebrow and an unrestrained smile those impossibly bland features became elegant, even handsome, as if they belonged to an older, more refined age.

His emerald-flecked eyes focused again at the problems at hand as he began his dissertation on the influence of modern weaponry and fortifications on European history.

--------------------

"I am worried about her, Luna."

The black cat perked her head up. "Who again?"

Artemis swatted at her nose, causing Luna to jump back and hiss at him, "Who else?"

"Minako-chan? What could be possibly be wrong with her? She can't be worried about another villain popping up."

"No. It's not that." Artemis hesitated, "It's a little hard to explain."

"Try me." Luna lay her head down on her front legs and tried to look interested.

"She's been having nightmares. Before you and Sailor Moon arrived, Minako was alone in the fight. It was tougher on her than I realized at first."

"The Dark Kingdom was never a particularly forgiving enemy."

"Insidious is the word I would use to describe it. They corrupted so many good people. The generals would have been great allies to us, but Beryl twisted them too much."

"Is this what that's about?"

"I'm not sure. She's been having nightmares lately. Minako wakes up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, gasping for air again and again. I keep on asking her what's wrong, but she keeps dodging the question."

"Well that can't be good."

"It most certainly isn't. I can't help believe that it has something to do with our battles as Sailor V. Minako hates discussing what happened before she met Usagi and the others. Whenever I bring it up, she changes the subject or just keeps silent. Something to do with fate...fortunes...those seem to be the words that affect her the most deeply."

Luna sighed. "That's not particularly helpful."

Artemis shrugged helplessly. "It's not much to work off of, but it's the only thing that I can think of. She talks during her nightmares, but I can't make out the words. I feel like I'm missing a piece of this puzzle."

Luna padded over and snuggled up next to him. "I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. Minako is smart and strong. It'll all work out in the end."

He half smiled and let his tail brush over her back. "How is yours doing?"

"Not bad. Usagi's grades are up, strangely enough, although I believe a lot of that has to do with Ami's constant tutoring."

"Stranger things have happened, ne?"

"Well, I suppose that this isn't so strange. After all, she's grown up a lot." She paused to reflect. "They all have, really."

"Being in the middle of a warzone tends to do that to you."

"Too true. But with a little luck, we can all coast to a happy retirement, catnip and steak tartare for all."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me all their talk has gotten to you too?"

"It's been over two months. Nothing new has popped up. There aren't even the slightest indications of anything." She raised a paw to silence his protest. "Now I'm not saying that we should let

down our guards. But can't we just let them relax for a bit, live their lives as they deserve?"

He growled unhappily. "I'm not as trusting as you Luna. I can't shake this feeling that if we stop our watch, something is going to happen."

Luna gently chided him. "Some surprises are good. Just wait and see."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

His eyebrows furrowed a bit, creasing his forehead in a semblance of deep thought. "This is fascinating. According to your preliminary research, Japanese youth aged 15 - 24 use their cell phone for text messaging more than for actual calls. I expect that cell phone plans there reflect that, by allowing more text messages versus actual cell minutes?"

The professor shifted uncomfortably in his airline seat. "I believe so yes. It's very preliminary field research though. We need to expand on it a little more. Through interviews and the like. That's where you'll come in."

"Me? I've been reviewing, but my Japanese is still quite terrible."

"It is certainly better than mine. I've been struggling with the language for years now. I still don't have the hang of all the pronunciations."

Merriment danced within Kevin's dark eyes. "And how is it that you are an Asian Studies Professor?"

"Long story." The professor brushed a stray piece of lint off of his jacket. "But, yes, you'll be aiding in the interviews. Some of my Japanese colleagues have pledged support, but I would much rather have someone more in touch with youth internet culture doing the interviewing."

Kevin nodded and stole a glance at the wispy clouds outside. "I hope that I'm of some use. I am very excited about this."

"I am certain you will be, my boy. After all, I went through all the trouble of blackmailing you into this. I expect you to carry your weight." The professor rifled through his book bag and pulled

out another study, "Now, if you find the cell phone study interesting you should look through their use of instant messaging services."

Kevin scanned the study. "Very low! Especially as compared to places like Hong Kong or even China. Strange, because Japan has an extremely high internet penetration. Some substitution effects perhaps. No AIM or MSN but lots of mobile to mobile stuff?"

"That was my initial thought, but there isn't much proof to substantiate it. It could be a coincidence." The professor beamed at his bright pupil. "I think that is one of the topics we ought to cover in our research. To actually substantiate the claim of instant messaging versus mobile phone use. Good thinking."

Kevin nodded and grinned at the praise. It was good to be exercising the mind on an overly dull plane flight. And the compliments helped too. His eyes darted to his watch. "We're landing in an hour. Any more for me to read?"

"Not really, you've already gone through most of the stuff I brought with me. Should've guessed you would burn through this stuff pretty quickly."

"It's very interesting. And as you said, it's a calling."

The professor harrumphed. "Don't worry, you'll have more to go through when we set up shop in Japan. We've got a bunch of policy papers to go through, as well as parallel research efforts by other social scientists."

"So this is well marked territory? That's no fun."

"Ah, but my esteemed colleagues have had surprisingly little luck in finding out where this strange phenomenon has come from. I am hoping that we're a little bit luckier."

Kevin stared at his professor, amused. "And what makes you think that we, two lone humans, can penetrate the fog which has confounded hundreds of others, many of whom are more intelligent and

well prepared than we?"

The professor settled back into his seat and grinned sleepily. "Pure academic hubris, my boy."

The plane tore the low hanging clouds to shreds as it set up for its entry into the airport. Landing lights flicked on, unnecessary though they were in the broad daylight. But pilots are creatures of habit, for what might be unnecessary one day would save the lives of crew and passengers the next. Narita slowly came into view, a huge block of pavement in the midst of urban sprawl. It dwarfed the houses in the nearby Chiba prefecture with its concrete arrogance.

Kevin's face was pressed against the window, still unable to completely understand what he had gotten himself into. The three day crash course he had crammed into his schedule before leaving Massachusetts had given him a passing vocabulary, although he expected to spend a couple of days assimilating the language before actually being able to converse.

At this point, he might be able to go into a noodle shop and order a bowl of soba without embarassing himself. Might. But he suspected he might have to embarass himself more than a couple of times before getting a hang of some of the nuances of the language. He prided himself on his cultural facility, a reflection of his parents wish to have him well versed and well traveled at his relatively young age.

But all his trips before had been carefully planned, with many weeks devoted to research, travel agents, and specific itineraries. This seemed terribly imprudent, almost recklessly fast. Within him he harbored a deep suspicion of the unknown, which guided many of his actions. Not typical of a college student his age, it was a factoid that perpetually bewildered his friends and family.

It was not an unwelcome trait, however, as it provided a deeply stable platform for more windblown figures to cling to and use for support. It was a role he had become accustomed to.

The plane bounced on the runway a couple of times, letting its flaps extend fully to act as drags in the air. It slowed its hurried rush down the tarmac until it reached the sedate speed at which it would taxi to the terminal.

Inauspiciously, perhaps, dark clouds began to intrude upon the horizon, threatening the formerly tranquil day with rain. He sighed good naturedly and poked his professor awake. The gray haired man awoke with a jolt and his student smiled and pointed to the friendly JAL stewardess who was assisting passengers with exit procedures. He grumbled loudly and nodded. Kevin retrieved his laptop bag and two suiter from an overhead storage bin and shuffled his way through the crowd to the front of the plane.

The inside of the terminal was brightly lit, glaringly so, as halogen lights shone down from the ceiling onto a mirror finish floor. The high ceilings gave it an airy sterility that eluded smaller airports, making it even more uncomfortable than it needed to be. As he made his way to the baggage claim, Kevin wondered what stories Narita held. Certainly tales of loves lost and reclaimed, perhaps even an adventure or two. Idly, he mused on whether he might be adding to those.

The walk was fairly long, aided considerably by the strategically placed moving walkways. Still, by the time they arrived at the claims area, his professor was wheezing, out of breath.

"Not...a....word," he gasped out.

"You don't get out of the office much do you?" Kevin spotted a suitcase on the conveyor belt and pulled it off to the side.

"Not particularly. Academia isn't particular conducive to good health. Besides, you're looking a little chunky yourself."

Kevin took the retort in stride. "You're absolutely right, sir. We both need to exercise. In fact, why don't I wake you up for a nice morning jog! Forget the train, we can run from here to Minato-ku!"

"My students, how they abuse me." The professor hefted a large duffel bag. "You got your stuff?"

"Yeah." Kevin slung his two suiter over his shoulder and pulled on the handle of his suitcase. "I forgot to ask. What are our living arrangements? Dorms?"

The professor actually smiled. "Actually, studio apartments in Minato city, in the Juuban district."

"Why there? Why not closer to one of the University of Tokyo campuses? Why not a dorm? Surely it would be cheaper."

"But more inconvenient for our research. You see, our research is going to focus on a particular class of Japanese youth, the offspring of the urban elite. They have the disposable income to buy such amenities as well as many substitutive items. It is through them that we will find the answers to our quandary."

--------------------

By American standards, it was painfully small, barely 250 sq ft. However, by Japanese standards it was quite large, and so he would have to make do. A tiny bedroom was wedged into the back, with an actual bed as opposed to those retractable ceiling ones he had seen in photographs. There was a slightly larger living/dining room with a minuscule kitchenette off to the side. The stove was gas burning, but modern, which suited him perfectly fine. In fact, the entire place was completely new, making him wonder how much he was actually spending on rent. The college had subsidized part of his expenses and his tuition was devoted to the rest. He would receive a small monthly stipend along with the occasional parental infusion of capital. It would certainly be enough to live for a couple of months....

'I think.' Kevin tossed his suitcase to the side and flopped down onto a futon-sofa. Amherst looked after its exchange students well, to the point of even pre furnishing foreign apartments. He grinned a little idiotically and swung his legs up to take advantage of the full length. It, too, was made in Japanese proportions, and his legs jutted out off of the end.

Sighing, he looked around again. Sparse to be certain, but given the terribly small space that didn't seem to be an issue.

Kevin glanced at his watch again. It was nearly midnight in Massachusetts, which made it sometime in the early afternoon for Tokyo. Oddly enough, he felt no fatigue. Guessing that his professor across the hall was snoring, he searched quietly for his keys and wallet. He was in a strange, new city. It would not do to stay in one's room, wasting away precious sightseeing time.

--------------------

"Oh, let's look at this shop!"

Makoto slapped her head. "Does she ever get tired of it?"

"Oh shush!" Usagi scampered after Minako into the curio store, leaving the three other girls in the dust. Rei rolled her eyes and Ami laughed dryly.

"Some things never change."

Sagely, Rei spoke. "Would you ever want them to?"

Ami shrugged. "A little change is good. For example, our current situation is the result of change."

The fiery priestess shrugged. Ever willing to engage in an argument, even with one far more intelligent than herself. "Come on Ami. Even you have to admit that predictability, whether with life, love, or war, is far better than unpredictability."

Ami's blue eyes danced merrily. "We're not talking about predictability, we're talking about change, the proverbial delta of chemistry. Change is fundamental to the system. If we are to thrive as a society and as individuals, we must embrace and prepare for change."

Rei turned her eyes to Mako. "A little help here?"

"Nope, sorry Rei." The thunder senshi laughed heartily. "I'm going to have to side with Ami on this one. Change is good, especially when that change involves us going from fukus and death defying situations to shopping on a Saturday."

"Point conceded." They all enjoyed a little laugh and then followed their two blond friends into the shop.

As close as any five friends could be, the senshi had grown quite a bit from the immature and quite unready middle schoolers who had faced down a professional army and all its expert leadership. What the enemies of the senshi continually underestimated was the love which bound their tribe together, the selflessness that defined their mode of battle and the sacrifice which it eventually entailed.

But for the first time in a long time, they no longer needed to prove that love and reckless devotion to duty in battle. Rather, it manifested itself in far less stressful situations.

Such as rummaging through a curio shop for items of dubious utility, just to say that one got a bargain on it.

And for that they were glad.

--------------------

He stopped into a shop for a bowl of real Japanese ramen. Bearing little resemblance to the little blocks of noodles and prepackaged soup broth so famous to American university students, the ramen he ate was the heart of Japanese soul food, the stuff of rainy days and homecooked meals.

Kevin watched as the cook expertly slice open the package of noodles and thrust it in the hot water, before dicing a hard boiled soy sauce steeped egg. He tossed it into a simple plastic bowl along with green cabbage and a wonderfully fragrant broth, before finishing it off with the noodles and a slice of nori seaweed.

Even before he dug in, the peppery broth brought tiny droplets of sweat to his forehead. He replied with American accented Japanese. "Thank you, it smells wonderful."

The cook nodded his thanks and dried his hands with a towel and favored him with an eager smile. "American?"

Kevin nodded in between slurps of noodles. "Hai. How could you tell?"

The cook shrugged and returned to a paper he had been reading before. "Your Japanese is quite good. For an American."

Kevin chuckled at his obvious disdain. "Thanks, I think."

"So what brings to you to Japan?" He tossed the paper aside and looked at Kevin. "Besides working on your Japanese, that is."

"Cellphone research at the University of Tokyo." Kevin took the time to stuff some more noodles into his mouth. "This is really good. What did you put in it?"

"It's an old family recipe." And with that, the cook launched into a tirade about his insistence on using the freshest materials and the sanctity of his family's recipe and how he could never impart such a precious artifact unto someone who was not bound by the unbreakable bonds of blood. But Kevin wheedled and begged, acting the part of a bright and ever curious pupil. It was not the recipe he was focused on, but the vast knowledge that a denizen of the city might have stored over the years: where to buy food, what parts of the city to go to for various items, and how a young man might spend his free time about town.

--------------------

Minako let her hand skim across a rack of DVDs and then, seemingly at random, pointed at one before withdrawing her hand. Her eyes seemed a little blank as she read the English and Japanese titles easily. Although not her first language, English had come relatively painlessly to her through a combination of school and travel. Which was fortunate, considering many an American tourist had confused her for a fellow countryman. That amusing thought brought a tiny smile to her face and a twinkle to her eyes.

Her eyes were deceptively vacant, hiding a surprisingly active and razorlike intellect. If anything, Minako's intelligence manifested itself best in the way that she allowed others to constantly underestimate her. Ami alone knew how smart her compatriot was, her genius able to detect the brilliant connections the senshi of love made.

And for all of Minako's outward flamboyance, she was quite content to remain in the background, at least with unimportant things. Although actual leader of the inner senshi, she had willingly ceded the leadership role to Usagi and even allowed Rei to fill the largely ceremonial position of second-in-command. But when those established roles failed, she competently took charge, salvaging the situations which others could not handle.

But to characterize her as simply a competent understudy would do a great disservice to our friend Minako Aino. Even to her closest friends, she was an enigma. They knew little of her past, save that she was the vaunted Sailor V. All of them sensed that there was another level to Sailor Venus, but there was still a lingering discomfort in asking her about it. She was a soul born of battle, who, more than any of the others, knew the wrenching pangs of loss and the insidious but no less destructive ache of loneliness. Her association with the senshi had staved that away temporarily, but Minako could not shed her past as easily.

However, she would be the first to deny such accusations and toss out speculation that she was anything but a happy, hale, and hearty young woman, with a forgivable obsession with romance. "How about this one? 'You've Got Mail' starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks."

Ami wrinkled up her nose. "Would that film be categorized underneath that terrible American moniker, the chick flick?"

Rei grabbed the disc from Minako. "Come on, Ami-chan, you like them as much as the rest of us."

Ami looked at Usagi and Makoto for support, but found only innocent smiles and shrugs. "Sometimes I wonder why I even hang out with you guys."

Usagi grabbed her arm and favored her with a blessedly vibrant smile. "Tis your lot in life, Ami. To put up with the inanities and wistful, romantic dreams of your friends."

Ami let her mouth drop open slightly and then looked almost betrayed. "You already HAVE a boyfriend, lest we forget. I don't think that wistful is very accurate."

Usagi giggled. "Then call it entertaining our romantic hearts. Besides, with a sleepover, you've got be prepared with all sorts of randomly girlish things. Especially subtitled American 'chick flicks.'" She pronounced the last words with an evident Japanese accent, coming out as 'chikku furikku.'

Makoto grinned. "Well, Ami-chan, it looks like you're overruled."

Dryly, "Not the first time, believe me. I suppose it will provide an excellent tutorial on English. I have needed to brush up on it for a while, especially with us entering high school next year."

Minako beamed. "There you go! Finding the silver lining on every cloud!"

The girls giggled collectively at her cheery outburst and picked up a couple more movies to watch that night before heading out of the store. Minako rummaged through the bag she carried, making sure that her wallet was hidden amongst the stacks of DVDs. She reached in and grabbed it before looking up to see her friends already ahead of her.

They waved and she scampered towards them to catch up, barely dodging a collision with another shopper in her rush.

The man, dressed like an American, dropped his bags to the floor and sidestepped quickly to avert a comic tragedy. Or he would have, had his foot not caught hers, simultaneously tripping both of them. She twisted as she fell, managing to land on her side. He was not so lucky as he face planted in the pavement with only his hands managing to slow his fall.

She jumped up and scampered over to the stranger. "Gomen nasai! Are you alright?"

The young man groaned and turned over, his eyes squeezed shut, and replied in American accented Japanese. "Hai, Arrigato." He opened his eyes, focusing on the girl above him, and he smiled briefly before replying in English. "I mean, thank you very much."

Minako sheepishly helped him up and began to dust him off carefully. "I'm terribly sorry. I'm such a klutz sometimes!"

He chuckled softly and retrieved his bags. "No harm done."

Kevin nodded his regards to her and retrieved his bag before walking resolutely in the other direction. Minako stared at his retreating back for a moment, then turned to rejoin her friends.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The alarm clock blared in his ears and he poked his head up before swiping a paw at the stop button. It had taken him a while to figure out the human contraption, and it had caused Artemis endless headaches trying to figure out all the various options on the damned thing. Minako had claimed it was easy and useful, as it doubled as a radio, a CD player, and even a night light of dubious quality.

Although as badly as he might badmouth it, Artemis would admit that it did manage to get Minako up every morning without fail. He curled up comfortably in front of the clock, letting his thoughts lazily drift across a multitude of topics. He idly wondered where Luna was then, what he might be eating for lunch, if the inner senshi's sleepover had gone well. He hoped it had, although he thought the act of staying up all night talking about absolutely pointless things was absurd at best. As a cat, he valued the importance of constant and copious amounts of sleep.

But the cat welcomed the sleepover, as a chance to take Minako's mind off the dreams which had haunted her night after night. He figured that it was some sort of delayed post traumatic stress disorder that would eventually fade with time and attention. He could only hope.

He also hoped that they would not be too tired after the night. Artemis had taken the liberty of calling together a meeting of the inner senshi at the Hikawa Jinja, to talk about the issue of readiness. He wanted aggressive patrols over the city, to be prepared for battle on full war footing. Regular meetings to discuss possible incursion routes and ways to founder them. To Artemis, they were still embroiled in a war and could ill afford to let their guard down now. He still did not trust Luna's instincts that there were simply no enemies left and wanted to maintain full senshi readiness until such time that he could be absolutely certain.

It was a character trait inherited from his long list of close calls with Sailor V, when the fate of the world rested squarely on her hands, a tall order for any thirteen year old. Caution had proven necessary, as the defeat of the Dark Kingdom had only been the very beginning of a long line of attacks and enemy incursions. Experience told him that any lull was too good to be true.

He yawned again and blearily looked around before burrowing his head into his paws. Artemis very nearly fell asleep before the timer on the sleep button ran out and the alarm shattered any hopeshe had of sleep.

"Stupid human technology." He grumbled as he dropped to the floor and directly unplugged it from the wall socket. He carefully groomed himself, wondering if Luna had to deal with an alarm clock, and if he might catch a few winks before his meeting later in the day.

--------------------

Kevin groomed himself carefully, making sure that no stray pieces of lint clung to his jacket or carefully pressed black pants. Normally, such concerns were somewhat secondary, but he was visiting a Shinto shrine that day and he had been warned that certain precautions needed to be taken.

Like when receiving a dignitary or preparing for an important event, visiting a shrine necessitated certain actions. Shinto placed emphasis on cleanliness and respect, a factual kinship between man, nature, and celestial body. He smirked darkly. 'An exceedingly practical religion, because their gods almost always deliver.'

Making sure that he had his wallet and keys, Kevin left the building, visibly excited about visiting a genuine Shinto jinja. As he descended the steps, his eyes caught the first hints of the mid morning sun, heating up the land with its gentle rays.

However, those rays would turn harsh soon enough, evidenced by the sweat which began to accumulate on his brow upon touching the air outside. Luckily, the Jinja was only a couple of blocks away. He hoped he could make it without perspiring too much.

It was a vain hope, for by the time he had caught a glimpse of the famous torii gates, sweat had built up in the small of his back.

He was tempted to touch them, to feel the cyprus wood under his fingers. But he could not profane the Shrine with human touch, not without looking like a pointlessly out of place tourist. His was never a particularly religious family, and Kevin had always felt a little uneasy such places.

But still he bowed before the gates and then moved to the absolution fountain so integral to any jinja. He ceremonially lifted the ladle out of the water and washed his hands, before filling his mouth and then spitting it back out onto the stone base.

--------------------

Five senshi and two cats walked along a little used side path through the gardens of Hikawa Jinja. The day was a little warm, but terribly beautiful as the sun streamed through the trees and neatly trimmed hedges of the Shinto shrine.

Usagi Tsukino rubbed her eyes in the bright morning sun, and whined softly, "I can't believe you woke me up for this."

Mock seriously, Rei muttered, "It had to be done, Odango Atama. For the sake of the world. Or at least according to Artemis. Of course, if he's wrong you'll have to get a new cat, Minako-chan."

The blonde pulled a stray bang out of her eyes and blinked a couple of times. "Fine by me. Just don't leave too much cat hair around when you do it. It's a pain to get out of the clothes you know."

Artemis shrugged off the implied threats with a shake of his head. "Be serious. We have an important matter to discuss."

Luna nodded in agreement. "Artemis is right. We are in a somewhat peculiar situation and we need to deal with it. That is why we had to have this meeting."

Mako cracked a smile. "Besides, I think that an early Sunday morning is a small price to pay for truly going back to a normal life. No more skirts and heels for us."

Ami giggled. "They're not that bad. Think of them as an enlightened and vocal affirmation of femininity. Although I'd much rather not fight in them."

"It's sentiment we all share," Artemis spoke dryly. "But we have to really evaluate whether or not laying down the henshin sticks is prudent. Admittedly, I would like that day to come. And soon. But the real question is can we afford to do it? Rei?"

Sailor Mars grinned. "The fire doesn't say anything about it. I also talked to Michiru earlier. She sees nothing in her mirror."

A smile crept over Minako's tired features. "Does that mean we're in the clear?"

Artemis frowned. "It's a little early to make such assumptions."

They rounded a bend, coming up behind the central altar area. Usagi pensively scratched at her forearm. "We're all a bit ragged from the fight against Galaxia. Too many sleepless nights, too many close calls. I think that we all need a well-deserved rest.

"We are denying ourselves a normal life. Moon Princess I may be, but I cannot ask my friends to sacrifice more than is necessary. Artemis, do you anticipate any problems?"

He scrunched up his whiskers, "I do not pretend to know the future, Serenity-sama. I am simply wary of it."

Rei spoke softly. "Artemis, no one is suggesting that we put away our henshin sticks forever. If there is a youma or cardian attacking, we will respond with force. But I tend to agree with Usagi in this. Any assumptions of danger are more likely to wear us out than anything else."

Minako giggled softly. "Come on Artemis, that's the best you're going to get." She scooped the cat off the ground and hugged him close. "You gotta believe."

Artemis wriggled in her arms until she dropped him to the ground. "Fine, fine." He moodily stalked off, disappearing around the altar building.

Ami stared after him and spoke quietly. "Should we go after him?"

Luna chuckled. "No, he'll be alright. He just a little emotional when he doesn't get his way."

Makoto poked fun at her. "Personal experiences?"

Luna rolled her eyes and trotted out in front of them. "Many. Too many if you ask me."

--------------------

Artemis rounded the building quickly, fuming at the inability of his friends to understand. He knew something would happen, just had no idea when or where. 'Shimatta!'

It was at that point he collided with an inconveniently placed human leg. He rubbed his nose with a paw before he heard a voice speaking down to him. "Sorry, cat."

Artemis almost answered, before looking up to see a strangely familiar face staring down at him. Something about it piqued his curiosity, in a way he had not felt for many, many years.

Or would have, had his own human not come scampering around the building to retrieve him.

"Artemis! Where are you?" Minako skidded to a halt, nearly colliding with the man staring down at her cat. She would have smashed into him full force had he not stepped aside, completely dodging her pell-mell advance. "Oh, gomen nasai! I'm such a klutz!"

Dryly, Kevin replied. "This seems rather familiar, does it not?"

Minako looked up. "Oh! I remember you! This does seem rather familiar. I am so sorry."

He chuckled. "Once again, no harm done. And I didn't even have to pick myself off the floor this time," Kevin knelt quickly and scooped up Artemis with a single hand. "I believe that this is Artemis?"

Minako giggled and took him out of his hands. "Yes, that's him. Thank you very much. He gets into so much trouble sometimes."

He could have sworn that the cat gave her a dirty look, before she suddenly stuck her hand out. "Since we run into each other so much, introductions are necessary. Hi! I'm Minako Aino."

Kevin grinned and took it easily. "Kevin Zhi. A pleasure, as always."

She peered at him for a moment, then hazarded a guess, "American?"

He nodded sheepishly. "That's right. Am I that obvious?"

Minako easily switched to accented, but easily understandable English. "Just the clothing. But welcome to Tokyo, Kevin!" She didn't even mix up the letters 'v' and 'b', something Kevin was quickly growing accustomed to in Japan.

Kevin inclined his head. "Thanks. Perhaps I'll catch you some time?"

Minako grinned and flashed him a V for victory sign. "You can bet on it."

He grinned back. "Excellent. Now that we are acquainted, would it be terribly forward of me to ask you a question?"

"Not at all. Fire away!"

"You seem to know your way around here. I wish to purchase an omamori."

Minako chuckled. "A good luck charm? What, do you have a test coming up?"

"Actually, I have a research project that I'll be working on for the next couple of months. I thought it better to solicit the aid of the Kami earlier rather than later."

She giggled. "You seemed like a sensible guy. The gift shop is over there."

Kevin looked to where her finger was pointing then nodded appreciatively. "Many thanks. I'll leave you to deal with your...cat."

She waved good bye and he returned the gesture easily before disappearing into the shop. Minako stared after him again, if only for a moment, then laughed to herself before returning to her friends.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Artemis stared into the wall. The resemblance was uncanny. 'But there's no way...is there?'

Not for the first time, he cursed Queen Serenity. She had thrust a heavy responsibility onto his shoulders, without the benefits of senshi powers or even a human form. His only defenses were his memories, and they were none too complete.

He looked around and then scampered up a tree next to where his target lived. Artemis skipped from branch to branch, agilely gaining height until he reached the second floor window. He truly wanted to know who that person was, justifying it to himself as curiosity and a need to determine whether or not he was truly the enemy.

And then, silently, he waited. Artemis had followed his target from the shrine to this place, but he needed to get inside before he could really do anything. And so he waited.

--------------------

Kevin shoved the last of his suitcases underneath his bed and wiped the sweat off his brow. Having just finished unpacking the rest of his things, he smiled at the apartment around him. It resembled a home much more than before.

Pictures adorned the walls: of family and old friends. His furniture was arranged in such a way so as to afford maximum area in the tiny area.

He felt comfortable and padded into the kitchen to get a drink from the small refrigerator and relax on the sofa. Kevin was about to doze off when he caught a glimpse of shining gold from outside the window.

He squinted at it then moved to open the window-

And Artemis saw his chance. He leapt through the window easily, landing on the carpet. He ran quickly and jumped onto the sofa, where he turned to look at a greatly confused Kevin.

"Wait? You again?" Kevin chuckled softly and then closed the window. "Minako was right. You are something of a pest."

He looked out the window again to see what had been sparkling outside, then turned back to Artemis. Shrugging, he sat down across from the cat and took a long sip of his drink.

"So what are you doing here, Artemis? Where does Minako live? I should take you home."

The cat cocked its head in a surprisingly human manner and the man rubbed his eyes tiredly. "So, since you're here, would you care for a saucer of warm milk? A nice fish perhaps? If you'd like I can go down to get you something from the market..."

The cat, obviously, did not answer, instead staring at him with a curiously penetrating look. Kevin laughed at himself, "Why do I expect you, all of a sudden, to answer me? You're a cat. Let's get you home, ne?"

Suddenly, Kevin froze, reaching out with a trembling finger to point at the cat's forehead. "Wait, what is that?"

Artemis did not move as Kevin gently moved his finger across the golden crescent moon that had attracted his attention to the window.

'It is. It must be.'

Sensing a fortuitous moment, "You know what it is."

Kevin jerked back as if hit with an electric shock. "You're speaking...to me? This is impossible!"

Artemis leapt off the sofa onto the table separating them. The golden crescent on his forehead glowed with internal light. "You know that's far from the truth. I, Artemis, give you back the memories you have of an older age. Reclaim your honor, powers, and heritage!"

Kevin closed his eyes, suddenly feeling a terrible heat behind them, as thoughts which he had never known existed sought their freedom from recesses of his mind. His hand came to his temple, trying to massage away the headache that persisted. He reached his other hand out, but could not repress a small shriek of pain which erupted from his lips. Memories tore through his mind at light speed, a flood gate of images opened where none existed before. Elegant, crumbling buildings still bearing the scars of a violent bombardment eons ago. A field covered in gray bodies, occasionally broken up with a patch of blue or red or orange. And then, his own death, by a howling, uniformed soldier wielding a blade of ice.

Artemis did not let up the onslaught. "Reach deep inside, and tear free from this existence. Awaken, my friend, it has been too long. You cannot shirk your duty any more."

Kevin's eyes flashed open, and he clutched at his stomach. Rending, ripping, fiery claws of pain tore at him from the inside and his eyes bugged out from the pain.

In a low merciless monotone, "It is long past time. Remember!"

And in a surprisingly anticlimactic moment, Kevin simply closed his eyes and collapsed to the floor, the sound of his ragged breath filling the air. Artemis trotted over and dropped to the ground next to him.

The battered young man's eyes opened again, this time new recognition flooding into them. "Artemis?"

Quite sympathetically, Artemis dabbed away the newly formed sweat on Kevin's forehead with his paw. "Welcome back, Retainer."

--------------------

Mako chopped up a carrot into small slivers before pushing them to the side of the chopping board. "Hand me the turnips. Was he cute?"

Minako shrugged and grabbed two of the newly peeled turnips and handed them to her friend. "He was okay. Not your typical drop dead hottie. Nice enough guy though."

Rei, from her position peeling vegetables, smiled. "And the accent?"

"His Japanese is pretty good, considering. But his accent in English is kinda cool I'll admit."

Ami looked up from her book. "You would know better than us."

"Hey, you guys know English!"

Ami rolled her eyes. "When I can't understand a single word of an American movie, I don't consider it actually knowing the language."

They all laughed at her mock seriousness and Usagi took the opportunity to steal a chopped up piece of celery from Mako's chopping board. "Where is he from, Minako-chan?"

"America. I haven't got much else on him."

Usagi munched on the celery for a moment. "Probably going to college there."

Minako pondered that for a moment. "An intellectual. He's doing research here."

Ami called out. "Don't malign intellectualism. All it means that he can probably hold an interesting conversation."

Mako slivered the turnips and then tossed them into the broth cooking on the stove. "Always a big plus."

Rei grinned and began to slice the meat into very thin slices that would be quickly boiled so they did not lose their flavor. "And what's the verdict?"

Minako smiled widely. With these girls, it always came down to that. "As first impressions go, kinda neutral. But we seem to have a strangely magnetic attraction to each other. I think we will be bumping into each other again."

--------------------

"I apologize for that. I didn't anticipate that it would be so hard to unlock your memories."

"Quite alright." Kevin felt in his head, the traces of the headache vanishing under the onslaught of three aspirins and cold water. Not quite trusting his eyes, he kept them closed. Awareness surged through his mind, seeing things, reliving experiences he knew that he had not experienced.

Yet they were there, as palpable as life itself. In a strangely schizophrenic moment, Kevin knew that those memories were real, yet knew that they could not have happened.

Not in this lifetime, at least. Kevin wiped his sweaty hands down the sides of his pants and then ran a hand through his fingers. Quietly, he whispered. "It's over. Isn't it? We lost."

Artemis bowed his head. "Yes."

Kevin chuckled. "That doesn't diminish my pleasure in seeing you of course. I find it comforting that you're still around, Artemis. It means that the fight isn't lost. By any means."

"I appreciate the compliment, but that fight is over. The senshi defeated Beryl several years ago. She's dead, and all her evils with her."

"Oh!" Kevin's forehead furrowed slightly. "Then, why am I here?"

"Call it indulging a whim. Your memories are surprisingly intact."

"There are some gaps, but I seem to remember who you are."

Artemis chuckled. "Fairly typical of your state. Let me refresh your memories. The Silver Millennium was a time of great prosperity and peace."

"Ah, yes, the propaganda. We both know that it was not quite as idyllic as you say, but we can skip that."

Artemis shot back. "It was a far cry better than what came afterwards."

"True enough. You will hear no argument to that."

"Good. As I was saying, the Silver Millennium was a pretty good time. You seem to remember me, but for consistency's sake let me reintroduce myself as Artemis, advisor to Queen Serenity."

Kevin smiled absentmindedly. "I seem to remember you as a rather important personage. I seem to remember doing a lot of stuff for you, actually."

"A small part of your duties. You were a retainer to Serenity's family, trained as a defense mage. You would accompany high profile figures on dangerous affairs of state."

"Such as you?"

Artemis smiled in spite of himself. "Such as me. I believe you also held a formal commission in the Moon Guard, at the rank of Captain, and were employed as such in the last defense of the Moon."

Kevin's features took on a mirthless expression. "I remember that all too well."

Artemis leaned forward. "Then please tell me. If you can."

"Not now, Artemis. My memories on the subject are a little vague." A shy grin touched his features. "This is a lot to take in right now."

"I understand, Retainer."

"Kevin." Another shy grin. "The young man you knew long ago is dead. What you've got is me, with all the flaws and foibles of a new body."

"Understood. You've been reborn, as another, as have the senshi."

Idly, Kevin wondered out loud. "Where are they?"

Artemis shook his head. "That's information you don't need right now. In time, my friend. We have more serious things to attend to. Such as your training."

"Training? Didn't you say that the threat was over?"

"Beryl is dead, yes. But there are other evils to fight. We have some indications. It is your duty to defend humanity with every resource you have at your disposal."

Kevin wore a look of faint bewilderment. "Umm...okay."

Artemis rose with great dignity. "That's right. Meet me tomorrow night at Tokyo Tower. There your training begins." And then the cat sprang off the floor onto the chair, disappearing out the window in an instant.

Kevin stared after him for a moment, then took another long sip from his drink. His mind resounded with that tireless refrain. 'What exactly did I just get myself into?'

It seemed to be a question he had been asking himself a lot lately.

'Confusion seems to be the order of the day.'


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Coffee. Black. Hurry and I might yet live."

Motoki chuckled and poured a cup for the American. "Haven't seen you around here before, stranger."

Kevin smiled. "It's my first time here." He yawned and shook his head. "I needed to find a place which served coffee as strong as I am used to it. This place came highly recommended."

"Why not Starbucks? They just opened up down the street."

The American scoffed. "I said strong coffee. Starbucks sells brown water."

Motoki smirked. "Not that I'm complaining. Jet lag?"

Kevin nodded. "How did you guess?"

"Well, first you're obviously American. Second, it isn't that early."

He nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Jet lag is killing me, my friend."

"I can tell. But I hope it isn't too early for introductions. I'm Motoki."

"Kevin."

"Keibin?"

"Something like that." A smile crossed Kevin's face.

The blond gazed at him carefully. "If you'd like, I could call you Bin-kun instead."

Kevin burst out laughing. "A nickname already? I am honored."

"You should be, Bin-kun."

--------------------

Minako skipped along the promenade, a winning smile on her face. She had been given a bunch of chores to do by her ever over-bearing mother and had decided, quite responsibly, to finish them early in the day. According to her watch, it was only nine in the morning and with a little luck she would be back before noon.

But before she did that, she wanted to stop at the Crown Arcade for a quick breakfast. She had retreated from the house to escape her mother and had not had time to grab something to eat. As an athlete, she knew the importance of three square meals a day.

She pushed open the door to Motoki's restaurant and hailed him with a big wave and what she imagined to be a sexy smile. True, he did have a girlfriend, and there was every indication that they would marry some day, but flirting was a harmless pastime and fun all the same.

Motoki had begun medical school along with Mamoru, cutting back severely on the time he spent in the arcade. Already, he was talking of quitting it all together. It took up a lot of his time, time which might be better spent on studying or keeping his spouse-to-be happy.

That meant that she would see him a lot less than she normally would, a thought that made her a little sad. 'Such things cannot be helped. It's our fate in this life.'

The morning crowd had already dispersed and there were only a few patrons left in the parlor. Motoki spotted her and waved back easily before disappearing into the back. A single person at the counter turned slightly to see her approach and then turned back to the mug he nursed in his palm. It was just enough for her to recognize him, and she cheerfully moved to take the seat next to him.

In English, "Good morning, Kevin-san! How are you doing today?"

The black hair was tousled, unruly, as if he had not slept well the night before. The black coffee he drank merely confirmed that. Kevin laughed tiredly. "Still working over a little bit of jet lag. My body is demanding sleep now, but I needed to get back to a reasonable schedule at some point."

"Poor baby." Minako's grin betrayed anything but pity.

Kevin rolled his eyes and lifted the coffee mug to his lips. The black liquid burned on its way down, but he ignored it. Many nights spent cramming for exams had made his esophagus quite resilient to the deleterious effects of boiling coffee. He imagined that the inside of his throat was leathery and scarred, but then why would he feel pain from hot coffee? The absurdity of the thought brought a smile to his face.

Minako winced for him. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"Terribly. But I've found it's a rather effective way of waking up. Assuming you don't pass out from the pain first."

"And you willingly do such things to your body?"

He smirked. "College is not conducive to good health, physical, mental, or otherwise. This is a habit acquired from too many late nights."

The girl grinned. "So you're in college. I thought you might be older than me."

Kevin gazed at her steadily. "How old are you? I imagine high school aged."

Minako giggled. "Seventeen. Sixteen if you count by Western years."

"Right, because Japanese ages count from the moment of conception rather than birth."

"I'm impressed. Most Americans don't know much about Japan beyond anime, school girl uniforms, and Pocky."

"I am focusing my studies towards Asian Studies, particularly Japanese language and culture. I just tend to read slightly more than those legions of fanboys out there."

"That's really interesting." Minako propped her head on her hands. "Which university?"

"College," he corrected gently, "I go to a place called Amherst College."

She waved her hand dismissively. "College, university, what's the difference?"

"A rather large difference actually." Kevin sipped at his coffee again. "One, the liberal arts college I attend has fewer than two thousand people attending. It doesn't have any professional schools or graduate programs at all."

Minako cocked her head questioningly. "An art school? Funny, I didn't peg you as the sort."

Kevin coughed out a laugh and spoke a little defensively. "Well, I'm not. It's a liberal arts school, slightly different from an arts school. My school produces everything from industrialists to medical doctors to professors. The only difference from here is that it does not force you to concentrate on a profession while in undergraduate studies. It just allows you to actually learn stuff for the sake of learning it, letting you make the more important decisions when you are ready to. "

She looked impressed. "Wow. That does sound really cool, not having to choose your path so early. I've always wondered why schools made you do that so quickly. I figure that you should have time to be young, rather than always striving for something. Get good grades in order to get into a good university. Get into a good college in order to get a good, stable job. Get a good stable job in order to retire and go play on golf. It's just so boring!"

"Well, there you go."

Minako smiled sheepishly. "But my parents would never let me go to a place like that, my mother especially. She'd probably say something about me needing to have direction and purpose in life."

Kevin smiled enigmatically. "Boy do I know about that. But I don't think that making decisions so early on is responsible. Besides, we humans are a rather fickle bunch. I think we're entitled to change our minds once or twice before we leave college."

"Is that why you went there?"

He looked surprised. "I suppose so. It just never occurred to me like that. I guess I like having as many paths open as possible. But when I visited, it just felt right for some reason. Like everything I'd ever wanted in the world was waiting for me there. A bit idealistic, but a feeling is a feeling right?"

Minako nodded. "Don't underestimate feelings. They're very powerful things."

Kevin shrugged. "I try not to, although they tend to lead me astray quite a bit. Like telling me that I ought to drop everything and go to Japan, instead of staying home to study."

She smiled. "There's always room for spontaneity as well. You are a most interesting person. I think I'm going to like you, Kevin."

He nodded his head graciously. "Well that's always very encouraging."

She grinned at him and then her features turned to dismay before she began jabbering away in Japanese. "Where is Motoki? He should be serving me breakfast by now!"

As if on cue, Motoki arrived, a characteristically sloppy grin on his face. "Sorry, Minako-chan. Had something to take care of. I see you've introduced yourself to the newcomer."

"We met yesterday at the Hikawa Jinja."

Wryly, Kevin interjected, "Or if you want to be technical about it, when she nearly killed me in the mall a couple of days ago."

"Well that too. So are you going to take my order or what? I'm a very busy girl, Motoki!"

The blond man laughed slowly and planted his hands on the counter and stared at her. "Fine, fine. Make me actually earn my wages. What can I get for you?"

"Something American...grapefruit, toast, and orange juice."

"Coming right up." Motoki disappeared into the back for less than five minutes, before he reemerged, bearing a tray filled with various American foodstuffs.

Or to be more precise, what the Japanese imagined an American breakfast looked like. The bread was sliced an inch too thick and its topping resembled Vegemite more than peanut butter. The orange juice looked a little too much like orange Powerade, although the grapefruit looked quite normal.

Of course, there was one thing consummately American about Minako's breakfast, the copious amounts of sugar she doused her grapefruit with. Kevin motioned for Motoki to refill his cup. "Save some for the rest of us."

"Hey, don't get in the way of me and my grapefruit. This is the only way to make it even remotely edible. Besides, I need the energy for my daily chores. I have to go food shopping and finish many other very important tasks today."

"Sounds absolutely fascinating." Kevin dropped a couple of coins onto the counter and stood up to stretch. "And as much attraction as chores hold for me, I think that I will spend my day touring the city instead. There's got to be something to do."

Minako jumped up from her unfinished grapefruit. "You're playing tourist right now! Let me come, I could show you so many cool things around here!"

He grinned. "I would love company while I explore the city, but don't you have errands to run? And a breakfast to finish?"

Minako scowled. "Quiet you. I was trying to forget. Besides, they'll keep while I show you around."

Kevin raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, far be it for me to keep you from delinquency."

"I like showing people around Minato-ku! We can tour the city together, hit all the cool places to go."

Motoki, who had thus far watched the proceedings with an amused expression, laughed and spoke jokingly. "Can't really refuse an invitation like that."

"Indeed." Kevin nodded his thanks to the blond man for the coffee and shoved his hands in his pocket. "So where to?"

Minako grabbed her purse and thrust her arm through Kevin's. "Great! One whirlwind tour through Tokyo. We'll be through all the good parts and back in time for lunch. Your treat of course."

He was dragged a couple of steps towards the door. An almost dismayed expression crossed his face. "Why, all of a sudden, do I feel like I made a huge mistake?"


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kevin rubbed his arm carefully and then stared up at the tower that rose before him in the night. Bright lights twinkled from its imposing heights, contrasting with the darkness that rose above the ever-present night lights of Tokyo. It had seemed less ominous earlier in the day when he had visited it with Minako, but now it evoked images of dark citadels from random adventure video games.

He shifted uneasily then glanced around. Artemis had said that to meet him at midnight exactly, but he had arrived a couple of minutes early. Even at that time at night, the surrounding area was still busy, and he was quite unsure of what Artemis wanted. Privacy, he assumed....but something did not seem quite right with it all.

A white cat approached him from behind and nimbly leapt onto his back, climbing up onto Kevin's shoulders with bared claws. The American winced and glared at Artemis.

"Couldn't just ask me to pick you up, could you?"

Artemis scanned the horizon. "That would be no fun, though. Besides, a human talking to a cat is bound to attract unwanted attention."

"Agreed. Although, if it's privacy you wanted, this is hardly the place for it."

The cat bobbed his head in a very human-like manner. "I concur. We won't be staying here. Just follow my directions."

Kevin nodded and Artemis began to speak quiet commands into his ear. His warm voice put the man at ease, much like hot cocoa on a warm day, and Kevin followed the directions unquestioningly. The discursive path that they took seemed overly long and drawn out to him, but Artemis had a distinct purpose in mind. His goal was to avoid pursuit of any sort, whether from unknown enemies or, perhaps even more dangerously, unwanted allies.

Artemis bore no illusions of what the senshi would do if they knew that they had another survivor of the Silver Millenium with them. They would welcome him into their lives and their homes, as a friend and comrade. They would tell him everything that had transpired in the years before and quite rationally explain that there was nothing to fear any more. Beryl was dead, along with a host of other enemies. Sorry you missed the fight, but oh well. It couldn't be helped.

That brought a grim smile to the cat's face. He could not condone such complacency, for the dangers were too terrible to imagine. Artemis knew, deep in his bones, that something would happen. His nature demanded that he assume it was bad. There had been too many surprises in the past, too many things that could go wrong. Artemis had trusted once, allowing the senshi to forget their duties, to live a normal life. Destiny, it seemed, did not have quite as idyllic plans for them, as it had sent them Ail and Ann to contend with. He had made the mistake once. Never again.

Reflexively, he bared his claws, digging into the fabric of Kevin's shoulder.

The man winced. "Easy on the claws, cat. I just bought this jacket."

"Sorry, Kevin. Force of habit. Stop here." The white cat dropped to the ground gracefully and turned. "We are here."

They had stopped by a small lake surrounded by a bank of trees and grasses. Unlike most Japanese parks, it was not well kept. The grass was a little too overgrown, the hedges not quite trim enough. Dry leaves lay strewn around the sidewalk, which wove around the water in a desultory loop. There were a couple of bridges, signs of good luck in Japan, but they looked positively decrepit compared to the city that surrounded it.

Yet, there was an undeniable calm to the place, something of an unsculpted beauty that refused to be packaged and presented. It was a small oasis of quiet in the middle of the largest metropolitan area in the world.

Kevin looked around, noting the surroundings with not a little bit of apprehension. They were still in Minato-ku, as far as he knew. He could see the Tokyo Tower rising in the distance, its twinkling lights beckoning to him. Yet, the city surrounding them seemed more remote, less imposing than before. There would be no intruders in this place.

Artemis spoke softly. "Retainer, I apologize for the inconvenience of the hour and the place, but I had to be sure that no enemies could follow us."

"I suspected as much." Kevin tapped his fingers against his chin pensively. "You sound as if the enemy were already here. Should I be worried?"

"Not at all." The cat smiled. "If memory serves, you have quite a few powers at your disposal. As I mentioned earlier, you were a defense mage, tutored in specific magicks to defend high-level figures and support troops on the battlefield.

"But before we get into that." Artemis's eyes flashed with amusement. "I think that we ought to institute a small change in attire."

And a small silver wand dropped from the air above into Kevin's hand. He seemed a little surprised by its presence and peered at it carefully, turning it over in his fingers in infinite loops. It was not an ornate piece, simply an undecorated piece of metal which fit easily into the palm of his hand. Kevin stared at it for a moment then let his eyes flit up to Artemis.

The cat smiled back with barely restrained glee. Minako had once described in her diary that touching the henshin stick for the first time was a mix between orgasm and empowerment, the distinct feeling that everything was right where it ought to be. It was an experience that Artemis could only understand vicariously, and he was understandably eager to see it again. "How does it feel?"

Kevin glanced back down at the wand. "It feels like a piece of metal."

"Be serious! How does it make you feel?"

The man eyed the cat skeptically. "Like ten million yen. Is there a point to all this?"

The cat shook his head irritably. "Forget it. Let's just get this over with shall we? Raise the wand into the air."

"Just raise it into the air?" Kevin eyed the cat even more skeptically and then stared at the piece of tin in his hand. "And that's it? No words, no fancy gestures?"

"To be completely honest, I have no clue. As far as I know, it's instinctive. Perhaps it will refresh some of your suppressed memories. The only way to find out is to try."

Kevin nodded and raised the wand above his head. At first, he noticed no real difference and stared at the cat accusingly.

But slowly, words of a very strange sort came unbidden to his mind. Kevin ignored them initially, trying to focus on the wand itself. Yet, those words persisted, nonsensical though they were, insisting that they be spoken. With each mental repetition, they grew louder and louder, the beating of a giant's drum on the inside of his mind. Kevin struggled to maintain his composure, but the words battered away at his sanity.

And then, when he could stand it no more, he screamed them out, a shrill sound of pain, meant to censure them forever.

"Lunar Mage Power...Make up!"

The world collapsed around him.

--------------------

Artemis shielded his eyes from the glow of his transformation. It was a pure white light, which could only be seen on those rare nights when the moon shone alone in the sky, untarnished by the lights of the stars above or the humans below. It was the signature of an accomplished lunar mage.

From his recollection, Artemis noted that Kevin's potential powers had not diminished in the slightest. Traditionally, the retainer for the family of Serenity was occupied by the scion of a minor noble line with higher aspirations. It was a largely ceremonial post, often awarded to politically able young men who would go on to lead terribly dull lives as part of the Moon Kingdom bureaucracy. It had been part of Artemis's job to screen them, and it had been a nightmare every time.

He had expected no more from the new arrival, a young man from the provincial areas of the Kingdom without many contacts or advantages to his side. His family's lineage was a new one, peasant stock that had used newfound wealth to purchase their nobility. It made him a suspicious figure in the eyes of many of the older families in the realm, something that the Retainer had taken in stride.

And throughout all that, Artemis had found the young man intriguing. Unlike most who aspired to the position of Serenity's retainer, he was not a regular attendee of royal court functions. Nor was he a capable small talker. Nor did he possess any of the wonderful skills which were considered so essential to worming one's way into the favor of Her Majesty.

He had chosen a military career, traditionally a reviled profession in the pacifistic culture of the Moon Kingdom. He had acknowledged the changing face of warfare and had chosen to learn the dirty arts of magic, while others chose to focus on their epee play.

In short, he was the sort of person required to bring much-needed sobriety to the fairy tale ambience of the Moon Kingdom. Not that his position came without much opposition. Other noblemen had fought the appointment strenuously, citing his family's unimpressive history. Even Queen Serenity herself had questioned the wisdom of appointing a military man to the post of her family's assistant.

But Artemis, the wily navigator of Moon Kingdom bureaucracy, had managed to get his way. It had proven an all too fitting choice as a scant few weeks later the kingdom of Endymion had fallen to the forces of Beryl.

The cat smiled. 'He is a warrior and in a few moments, he shall look the part.'

The light faded slowly and Artemis's eyes slowly adjusted back to the darkness. Kevin gave him a mischievious glance. "How do I look?"

"Impressive as always, Retainer." Artemis bowed his head.

It was a far more pragmatic uniform than any of the senshi had worn ever. Kevin's was dark blue, a design balancing both practicality and showmanship It was reminiscent of the design of the Dark Kingdom uniform, with all its imposing lines, but softened with the addition of a collar and lapel which could hold a flower or a pin. The ensemble was completed with a simple cape that wrapped around him easily.

Kevin grinned toothily. "I'll admit. I didn't quite expect something like this."

"There is no reason you should have. Your memories are still incomplete, and may never be completely restored. And as you adroitly pointed out; you are Kevin, not the young man I got to know so many years ago. But we work with what we need to. And you are it."

The man inclined his head gracefully. "Accepted. Shall we begin?"

--------------------

His head whirled as Artemis bombarded him with information. "So you're telling me that I have...magic...powers."

"I don't expect you to actually believe me yet. At least until you start to use them for yourself. I suppose just go at it the same way you transformed and it will all come to you. And if it doesn't, we'll try something else."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"That's what I'm here for."

Kevin lifted his hand in the air and closed his eyes. And for the second time that night, it felt as if a giant had seized his arm and tried to yank it out of its socket.

He nearly cried out in pain, but gritted his teeth. Suddenly the pressure relented and Kevin opened his eyes to see an amazing force field stretched out in front of him. It crackled with restrained energy and gave everything outside of a five-meter radius a somewhat hazy look. He moved his finger closer to it, then tried to push his hand through the surging induction field.

"Did I...create this?"

The cat's voice sounded tinny through the shield. "Indeed you did, Retainer. Your instincts have served you well."

Kevin marveled at what he had created, peering at it closely. "This is an incredible construct, Artemis. Certainly defying all manner of physical law."

Artemis shrugged. "Does it really matter why or how you created this shield? Isn't enough that you have done so and can use it to your benefit?"

"I suppose." Kevin sounded unsatisfied.

The cat's eyes narrowed, and he plunged forward with further explanations of powers and magical theory. He didn't want Kevin ruminating about it too much. Artemis sensed that Kevin was an inquisitive one, who might question a cause before fighting for it.

Such questions could be fatal in the fluid environment of senshi warfare, and he was determined to stamp it out before it could pose a threat. Even in their time of complacency, he would never let his guard down. His duty was the protection of the Moon Princess and her senshi. Kevin would be the instrument with which to achieve that end.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The alarm clock would ring at precisely eight o'clock in the morning. Its owner had chosen that time quite carefully, struggling to find the perfect balance between leaving enough time to arrive at his appointment punctually and maximizing his sleep time. At best, it was a difficult decision. At worst, it was a veritable nightmare of cost benefit analyses which would likely satisfy none of the criteria that he had in store.

There had to be enough time to hit the snooze button two or three times, for Kevin never woke up on the first ring. However, if he set it back too far, he might simply sleep through the minute long alarm, not even bothering to hit the snooze button at all.

Additionally, he wanted enough time to get in breakfast. Not too short, of course, because that would rush him too much. It might destroy the balance of his day. But certainly not too long, for that would simply be inefficient.

Finally, the owner had calculated out the various times it would take him to reach his destination, to the point of running time trials the previous day. It was a delicate process, determining alarm times, and one not to be taken lightly.

When one added a second alarm to the mix, the result was a problem more complex than Oppenheimer or Kant or Keynes had ever dealt with.

Of course, none of these concerns actually affected the operation of the clock, for it still recorded the seconds as accurately as ever, ticking down those arbitrary units of time until it would fulfill its purpose. Reflecting the wishes of its owner, it rang at eight in the morning, not a moment before and not a moment after.

Kevin blearily gazed at his alarm clock before yanking the plug out of the wall socket and hurling it across the room. As proof to its sturdy American design, it bounced off the door and rolled underneath the bed. He smiled dreamily before falling back into a confused slumber.

However, the next thing to prod him into near consciousness was a far more insidious enemy. At approximately eight thirty, the sun shone directly through his window, quickly warming the body beneath the covers with rays of golden light. He fidgeted uncomfortably, then tumbled out of bed, unable to stand up to the damning warmth which brought him to the perspiration point.

Kevin stumbled around clumsily, before he wrapped his hands around a glass of water and took a sip. Or tried to rather. Somewhere along the line, his brain hadn't communicated to his mouth to open, with predictable results.

On the plus side, however, the water did manage to wake him up.

Kevin shook his head, trying to vanquish the heat induced headache. It was expectedly ineffective and the American slowly moved his way to the bathroom for a cool shower.

The night before had been a strenuous one. Artemis sought to test the limits of his new protege's powers, through a series of tests and practice runs which lasted until four in the morning. And when Kevin had felt like collapsing, the cat had shown him how to tap into his own powers to gain strength and endurance beyond what normal mortals could achieve.

It had been a tremendous experience. Thee energy and power at his finger tips invigorated him, as a fix would a crack or heroin junkie. In a single instant, he had felt invincible, able to take on things greater than himself in a single heroic clash. They were extraordinary, incredible the powers he had at his command. The ability to create impenetrable force fields, to cut through walls with the simple power of the mind, to lash an enemy with a psionic attack that could bring the strongest of minds to ruin.

Yet, his egalitarian sensibilities were offended by the almost arbitrary power which had been bestowed upon him. And even more dangerously, he was frightened by the sensual ease which he took to them. Kevin was notedly cynical about Artemis's high minded proclamations about the defense of good. The magicks he used had been developed to cause pain and discord among the enemy, whoever that enemy might be.

In his mind, the use of magic posed a double edge dilemma. If used with great compassion and moral strength, it served as a noble force. If used with anything less than the strictest moral rectitude, it became selfish and destructive. And all that depended on the principles of those who employed it. Hardly the most reassuring of thoughts.

'It is a dangerous force.' He decided quickly as he stepped out of the shower. 'Far too dangerous to be used by the likes of me.'

Yet if Artemis was correct, he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. He had duties to fulfill and people to protect. And that mandated his use of magic. But that line of reasoning was woefully seductive. It justified too much, constrained far too little.

Kevin's eyes narrowed with concern. He did not completely trust himself with those powers yet. There was a lot of risk should something go wrong.

It was with those troubling thoughts that he left his apartment to search out his professor and begin research in earnest.

--------------------

Even at the relatively early hour, the city was bustling with activity. Minako gazed out the window silently, before being brought back to attention by the polite cough of the ever discreet senshi of water.

Ami smiled at her easily and spoke in low tones. "You seem preoccupied. What's on your mind?"

Minako looked back in surprise to see the blue haired girl gazing at her inquisitively. "Sorry, Ami-chan. Just a little scatterbrained right now. Blond and all."

Ami rolled her eyes slightly, before taking a slow deliberate sip of her soda. "With the others, you might have been able to get away with such an excuse. But, come on Minako-chan, I know that there are far more machinations going on within that blond head than you would even admit to yourself."

Minako giggled. "You know me a little too well, Ami-chan. Maybe too well for comfort."

The blue haired girl shrugged knowingly and folded her fingers in front of her. "You took that risk when you befriended me. Don't even start on me knowing you too well."

"I know, I know." The blond giggled again.

They were an unlikely pair, Minako admitted to herself. Sailor Mercury had not abandoned her studious ways, nor her open disdain for some of the boy-chasing antics of her friends. Yet Minako felt a deep kinship to the blue haired girl. Although they were quite different in temperament and thought process, Ami understood her best of any of the others.

The senshi of water had always sensed that there was a deeper story to Minako than the surface cheeriness told. And strangely, Minako did not mind. Ami, in her typical discreet manner, had never commented about it, but that knowing smile revealed quite a bit about her ruminations on the matter.

"But..." Ami betrayed another grin and said rather formally. "You are not answering my question. What is on your mind? The American boy you were talking about perhaps?"

Minako blushed. "I don't always think about guys."

"But that's what was on your mind, yes? I wish I could meet this intriguing person that occupies your thoughts so much. Perhaps, you have an inordinate interest in this fellow."

"Have you ever found somebody interesting...not in a romantic way...just someone that you would love to get inside and figure out?"

Ami smiled wistfully. "Urawa-san. You feel the same about this, Bin-kun?"

"We went sightseeing together around Tokyo the other day. And somewhere in between the parliament building and Tokyo Tower, we just start talking about things. Almost private things."

Dryly, "You didn't give away our identities, did you?"

"I'll admit, I was tempted at one point or another. He's just very agreeable and very easy to talk to."

The blue haired girl suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. It was a spiel she had heard not a few times before. Such relationships would run their course quickly and Minako would move on to the next victim. In a way, it worried her a little. Mina-chan, for all her many admirers, had never had a steady boyfriend of any sort. That in itself would not have been troubling, had Ami not also sensed a deeply rooted fear of commitment in the senshi of love. She could not fathom where or why it had come about, save that it probably had arisen before they had ever met.

Ami pushed those thoughts from her mind. It would be irresponsible to speculate and she suspected Minako would tell all when she felt ready enough to.

She smiled again. "Sounds like a very interesting young man. I shall have to meet him some day."

"I hope you do. I think you'd like him."

--------------------

Kevin blinked in despair, then tossed the stack of papers into the air. The lighting in the room was roundly terrible. It was a basement office, a comparative rarity at the University of Tokyo, given the relatively common earthquakes in the area. Kevin suspected that it might have been a holdover from World War II, because it was a most unpleasant place to be in.

Glaring fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, providing a poor replacement for the lack of natural light. The room was depressingly sterile, with little life to the concrete walls surrounding it.

His professor had left half an hour before, to glean some more information from the academics who had provided the initial research on youth cellular phone use. Kevin was going through their seminal works, trying to identify a research area which they had not devoted much time to. It was not a particularly successful endeavor.

He sighed with resignation and began to gather the papers together again, to make another run at them. Although his eyes burned from the harsh light, Kevin welcomed the reading as an opportunity to take his mind off the many things which had complicated his life only days before.

As he delved into Hashimoto's curious works on the effect of text messaging on culture, he thought briefly of Artemis's warnings and woeful proclamations of an imminent invasion. They made sense, of course, and he instinctively trusted the cat's judgment.

Incomplete as his memories were, Kevin felt a distinct familiarity with Artemis's name and took that as a positive sign.

But his most salient memories were of a darker time. His section had been called into action to help execute a flanking assault meant to draw Beryl's forces away from their main axis of attack.

It had failed miserably. The armies she commanded brushed aside his incursion with arrogant ease. His men had been killed and he left for dead in the dust of that battleground.

He grimaced and bit at his lip until he noted the coppery tang of blood. Kevin wiped at it absentmindedly, then tossed the tissue towards the trashcan. It bounced off the rim and rolled underneath the table.

He made no effort to pick it up.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She tapped her foot impatiently. "Minako! Get up! You'll be late for schoo1." The blonde woman paced around impatiently then called out again. "Get up!"

A blur in red, white, and blue dashed out of an upstairs bathroom, sliding down the stairs haphazardly before landing deftly on the floor. Minako grinned sheepishly and bounced into a straight backed position. "Ready!

Her mother shook her head. "First day of school and you're late already. How is it that you are my daughter?"

Minako rolled her eyes. "Well, once upon a time, about seventeen years ago, you and daddy committed an indiscretion. Things happened. And here I am."

"Baka." Her mother curved her lip disapprovingly. "At least you're dressed neatly today."

"Mother. I'm not twelve. I can take care of myself."

"Sometimes I wonder." Minako's mother pushed a bento box into the girl's hands, before pulling her shoulder around to inspect her back.

Minako shrugged off the hand irritably. Her father shot her a sympathetic glance from the breakfast table, before retreating behind the safety of his morning paper. He was a simple, extremely intelligent man, who had made the mistake of marrying for looks rather than personality, preferring to retreat behind his books and work rather than deal with the firebrand he had accepted into his bed. An investment banker by trade, Aino-san was a loving if distant father, whom Minako had never seen enough of to know well.

She knew that her mother disapproved of her father's laconic demeanor. To compensate, the alpha female of the household felt it necessary to exert controlling influence on all the happenings within her home. Secretly, Minako sensed that her mother was reacting to her father's dominating intelligence, seeking it to bring it under heel with eerie domestic powerplays.

In short, her home life was too confusing to begin comprehending. Minako prefered the less intellectually rigorous challenges of hanging out with her friends.

She grabbed her coat and bolted out the door, ignoring any further commands by her mother. The freewheeling spirit of the senshi of love revolted against such dictatorial control and she looked forward to the day ahead with a mixture of relief and trepidation.

A white cat, previously unnoticed, padded up next to her and cleared his throat. "Good morning, Minako-chan."

Minako knelt to scoop the cat up onto her shoulder. "Good morning Artemis. I trust you slept well?"

"Better than most nights, I must admit." The cat yawned. "I enjoy not having to clash with enemies night after night."

"So you've given our concerns a little thought?"

Artemis nodded, almost glumly. "You've got a lot of valid arguments. I just think a little prudence might be worth considering."

"Nightly patrols are a little more than prudent. They're paranoia."

He sighed. "Fine, fine. I see I can't convince you."

Not without irony, "I am so glad that we have your approval. Sometimes you are more controlling than my mother."

The cat chuckled. "I resent that! Both you and I know that that is completely untrue."

Minako giggled. "Yeah, you're right. She really drives me up the wall sometimes."

"You mean all the time?" Artemis shook his head. "That woman has problems. No offense intended."

"You don't need to tell me that." She sighed. "I suppose she means well, but she needs to let me live my life at some point."

The cat nodded, electing to remain silent for the rest of the journey to the Juuban high school. His thoughts were on the actions of his new recruit, the ever confused Kevin. Had the gravity of the situation not been so large, Artemis might have felt guilty about the way he had led on the young man under his tutelage. But he had not survived the destruction of the Silver Millennium by taking chances.

What he was doing was in the best interests of everyone involved. The senshi would get their much needed respite. The Moon Princess's safety would be assured. And Artemis would gain peace of mind.

Content with those thoughts, he let his eyes drift forward the school rising up in the distance.

Idly, Minako drummed her fingers on her arm as she trotted towards school. To the casual observer, her blue eyed stare might have seemed vacant, devoid of thought or interest.

Yet, those familiar to her knew it was deceptive. It was the look of Sailor Venus when calling upon her vast stores of battle experience to defeat an enemy, to solve a quandary, or to resolve a situation More than any of the others, Venus possessed an animal shrewdness that far outweighed any plebeian benefits conferred by intelligence.

To her, the waters of life were fairly easy to navigate. There were few signs that the senshi would be thrust into battle again. Her personal life was manageable, if not wonderful. School had never been much of a problem, although that was certain to change with the mounting difficulty of high school exams.

Minako sighed with exasperation. She had been told that those exams would determine what college she went to, which in turn would determine the path of her life.

'And that, lady, is sanctimonious manure.' She no more accepted that contention, than she did Artemis's doomsday proclamations of incoming enemy attacks. It was moronic that a single set of questions and answers could determine success or failure in life, a thought shared with a certain free thinking American in her life.

Above all, Kevin was both interesting and interested. Interesting in the usual, somewhat exotic foreign way. Interested...because he listened.

It did not resemble the false interest of a follower attracted to her formidable looks, nor the shallow inquiry of some of her other friends. Rather, she sensed it was a genuine curiousity to figure out how her day had been, what she felt, and how she ticked.

If he weren't so damned sincere, she might have been suspicious. For once in her life, someone else was asking the questions and that made her happy.

As she neared the high school, a trio of girls waved at her and Minako picked up her pace to a quick trot. "Good morning, minna-chan!"

Usagi beamed. "Good morning, Minako-chan! You are very cheerful this morning."

Mako spoke dryly. "She's always this cheerful. Although, I am surprised that Usagi managed to get here before you."

Minako shrugged, but did not reply. Ami's eyebrows raised subtly, though she said nothing. An uncomfortable silence fell over those assembled, until the senshi of water broke in with cool, precise tones. "So how are you doing Artemis? Keeping busy?"

"Just watching over you girls. Making sure that this newfound relaxation doesn't end up exploding in our faces."

Ami smiled faintly. "I am quite certain that we will have more than adequate warning, should any problems arise. But we do appreciate your concern, Artemis."

If the cat was annoyed about being outmaneuvered in this particular conversation, he didn't show it. And that surprised Minako for a moment. He was not acting at all like she might've expected. Artemis was not one to back down in an argument. He would stick by his guns, even if he were proven wrong through all manner of logic and rationale. If defeated, he would hide and sulk for a while before returning as if nothing had happened at all.

It was an exasperating trait. By proximity alone, Minako had the most experience with her cat's moodiness and petty tantrums.

Which made his actions all the stranger. Minako gave that a little thought before Ami motioned for the four to head towards the entrance. The first bells had just rung, signaling that they had ten minutes to take their seats. Japanese teachers were especially strict about tardiness and even Usagi moved a little more quickly to get inside.

Ami and Minako quickly moved off to a separate classroom for designated honors students. Minako was unsure how she managed to get placed in such a class, although she suspected that her transcript had been messed up when entering from middle school. Her grades had been mediocre at best and she wondered if her mother had had anything to do with her sudden ascension.

The blue haired girl to her side prodded her out of her reverie and she took her seat quickly. The bell still had not rung and Ami leaned over to whisper into her ear. "Worried?"

"Just a bit. I'm not supposed to be here you know."

"Oh come on. You're certainly intelligent enough. I guess the testing boards finally figured that out."

Minako shook her head violently. "No way. I'm not going to be prepared for this in the slightest. I need to figure out a way of getting out of this class and into Usagi and Mako's."

Ami pretended to be shocked. "And abandon me to this cesspool of nerds and geeks?"

"Hey! You are a nerd!"

"And proud of it. But I digress. Stay in the class with me Minako-chan. It's always easier when you have a study partner. Besides, you can't hold yourself back for long. You're a lot smarter than you lead everyone else to believe. It's time to start proving it."

"When did you gain so much faith in me?"

"When you first led us into battle, Minako-chan." Ami reached out with a steady finger and tapped the blond hard on the head. "I knew there had to be more to that pretty blond head than boys and bouncy hair. It takes a lot of brains to get us all out in one piece, time and again."

Minako tried to think up a rebuttal to that claim, but could only manage with a weak smile. The other senshi grinned confidently. "We're even going to the same cram school! Don't worry. This should be a piece of cake."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

He stood silently, feeling the wind lash at his face. The faint hints of rain earlier in the evening had been replaced with a dark, dense cloud cover that touched the tips of the highest buildings in Tokyo. Street lights and city signs had sprung to life in the past half hour, struggling to gain purchase against the oppressive cloud layer above.

But those imposing stratus formations absorbed the brilliant beams like giant gray sponges, reflecting none of their warmth onto the city below. There was an almost operatic element to the scene, a gothic elegance to the soaring peaks of the city beset by clouds. A fierce gale whipped through his clothes, blowing the cape out behind him.

His mind was more alive than it had ever been. Artemis's training exercises had developed his already formidable magical instincts. He did not have the power to read minds, but he could already feel those below him, sense their presence amidst the garbled mesh of the psychic realm.

It was fascinating. He could sense intents, feelings of others. His mind marveled at the knowledge at his disposal and he immersed himself into it. Tokyo had a frantic energy to it, nervousness, whispered elation, ruthlessness, and cynicism all swirling into that great morass of humanity.

He shivered, though he was not cold.

Artemis noticed the unconscious reaction and spoke softly. "Retainer, is anything the matter?"

"No, Artemis. Just thinking about some things," Kevin not quite lied. "A lot has happened in the past few weeks. I'm still struggling to adjust."

He smiled quickly and changed the subject. "So, Artemis, does Minako have anything to do with the Moon Kingdom? After all, you have attached yourself to her."

The cat chuckled. "No, no, she's just a nice young lady who found me one day while I was searching for the senshi. She seemed to like me quite a bit, so I decided to stay there for the past couple of years. I am glad that you two are becoming friends. Minako-chan is really a wonderful girl."

"I know. She's a really fun person."

Artemis stirred uncomfortably. "Though I am quite worried for her grades. She's going into the honors program at her high school and I'm not sure that she'll be ready for it."

"I wouldn't worry about it. She's very intelligent. Whatever she puts her mind towards, she'll get."

The cat laughed again. "I am not sure about the intelligence, but I agree with her need for focus. I hope that cram school can help her a little bit with all her subjects."

Kevin shrugged. "Cram school, from what I understand, is not really an efficient method of teaching subjects. Hell, I could probably teach her better than they could."

"Would you? I'm sure that she would appreciate it."

The man shifted uncomfotably. "I'm not sure. I don't know her that well. It would be...you know...kind of weird."

Not to be disuaded, "Well, Minako attends Glory cram school. I hear that Glory has a couple of positions open for college aged students. How about you try there? I'd really appreciate it if you could help her. She needs your help."

"I don't know, Artemis." Kevin scratched his head. "I do need some disposable income though."

"Hey, it all works out!" The cat beamed up at him. "Thanks!"

"Umm...no problem?" Kevin looked a little confused again, but this time shrugged it off. It was a simple challenge for him to deal with. He smiled again, before lapsing into an uncomfortably moody silence.

Artemis cocked his head slightly and spoke softly. "Retainer, are you sure that everything is alright?"

"Of course, why would anything be wrong?"

The cat examined the young man with a careful eye. Kevin was an intelligent kid, a quick study with good tactical and strategic instincts. As he had in the Silver Millennium, the Retainer applied himself readily to the task of understanding all the secrets of his dirty trade.

That made him dangerous and useful in all the usual ways. Artemis had to remind himself that this was not a malleable thirteen year old for him to awe with the prospect of becoming a princess. He had detected a little skepticism early on and had moved appropriately to quell it. Artemis had originally planned to introduce Kevin's powers as he had Minako's, by giving him the words and phrases to say aloud. Instead, Artemis forced Kevin to reach inside himself and draw the magic from within. Placing the proof of powers into Kevin's own hands had forestalled most of the awkward questions that might have resulted.

And for all his formidable intelligence, Kevin was a terrible liar. When he refused to meet your eyes, shuffled his feet uncomfortably, and changed the subject, it was clear that there was more to be said than the young man was willing to reveal.

"Retainer, I agree. It has been a hard few weeks for you. I know I've fed a lot of information to you. If you have any questions, please tell me. I want to help you adjust to this situation as quickly and as easily as possible. I'm here as a resource, your resource."

Kevin nodded uneasily. "And I thank you for that Artemis, but really I'm quite alright."

"But you have concerns." Said almost harshly, it was not a question.

The young man winced, as if caught in a lie. "They're unimportant."

The cat's voice modulated slightly, softly pleading with Kevin. "They're important. I would not have invested the defense of the Moon Princess into you, if I didn't trust you to have legitimate concerns. You must talk about them, if we are to come to an understanding."

Kevin nodded, still clearly ill at ease. "It's just that I'm not really used to the power that I've been granted. It seems a little arbitrary. I mean, why me?"

Artemis sighed. "It is not for us to question what destiny path has in store. It will show us the way eventually."

The man shook his head. "Artemis, you didn't even answer my question. These tremendous powers come with tremendous responsibilities. For a ruler as enlightened as Queen Serenity, it seems awfully irresponsible to safeguard these powers with only our words of honor that we won't misuse them."

"You may not talk of Queen Serenity in such a way! She may be gone from this plane of existence, but I will not tolerate slander of her good name. She is still your sovereign and you must cherish her memory!"

Kevin winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect. But it seems a little dangerous to be giving powers away to people who might or might not do the right things with them. In the absence of evil, what good does power do?"

"Evil is still present in this world, in case you forgot. And for your concerns, I think that as long as Serenity's morals guide those she endowed, there is nothing to fear."

Kevin persisted softly. "But what if they don't? What if the siren song of power is too great to resist? What if what they say is true and power does corrupt?"

Stubbornly, "Never has happened. Magic is too noble an art for such crassness."

Kevin paused for a moment. "But didn't it? Magical power in the hands of the morally bankrupt....and you get Beryl."

Artemis, tiring of the argument, fixed Kevin with a steely stare. "That is none of our concern. Beryl is irrelevant! All that we need to know is that our guiding principles are those of Queen Serenity herself. It is not our place to question them. It is simply our duty to obey her final orders and protect the Moon Princess with whatever resources available. Let destiny decide the rest." He glowered suddenly. "If you feel you're not up to that task, then we can terminate this association right now and stop wasting everyone's time."

Kevin bit off another comment and shook his head. "No, no you're right. I'm sorry. I'm just really confused about his entire thing."

The cat responded gruffly. "As I said before, that's natural. But there are some questions that are best left unanswered. We are in the middle of a war, Kevin. Perhaps some other time, when peace is here to stay, we can talk about the moral application of magical power. But we can't afford to discuss it right now. We just have to trust that Serenity gave us adequate guidance and leave it at that

"Now be silent. We're on patrol and must be ready for any danger."

Kevin nodded and silently moved to the edge of the roof. He gazed silently at the still busy streets below, marveling at how in control of his senses he was. Everything seemed a little sharper, a little clearer than before. The sounds of traffic and idle chatter sounded crisp in his ears, able to differentiate between each word easily. Even his eyesight, which had worsened in recent years, seemed to improve while he was transformed. Stronger, smarter, faster.

He was still himself, but better, more perfect than before. It was an exhilarating feeling that he didn't want to let go of.

And that frightened him deeply. Not that he relished his imperfections, but Kevin wondered if he could truly go back to what he was before. Would it even be possible to accept imperfection again?

It was that dangerous mental trap which Artemis seemed to be blind to, electing to wrap his words in declarations of destiny.

Kevin didn't even believe in fate, preferring the bull-headed arrogance of self-determined destiny. To him, fate was a concept for those who sought to dodge responsibility for their actions, good or bad.

But he had enough respect for Artemis to keep quiet about such things until later. Kevin's eyes narrowed. 'Be that as it may, I am responsible for my own path. I can't afford to be complacent about it.'


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Tom Lehrer once wrote that the most important thing in education is understanding what you're doing rather than getting the right answer.

It was not a sentiment shared by the Ministry of Education.

Minako stared at her paper blankly. Her first homework assignment and she was in danger of failing. 'Fifty percent. Kami-sama, I don't care what Ami said. I am NOT ready for this.'

She flipped the page over. More marks in red ink greeted her, along with a big red smiley face. 'Oh how cute. Someone has a sense of humor.'

Worst of all, she had no idea how to face her mother. For a moment, Minako pondered crumpling up the sheet and tossing it over her shoulder.

Ami, sensing the destructive impulse, grabbed her hand quickly to stay the motion. "Don't even think about it."

Minako glared at her. "Then what am I supposed to think about?"

The blue haired senshi ripped the paper from the other's hands. "Perhaps about preventing this from happening again."

"You sound like my mother," Minako groused.

"Hey, it's just the first assignment. You're far from a terminal case."

Her face grew even longer. "Thanks for the oh so encouraging words. You make me sound like a cancer patient."

Ami shook her head. "You're the one always telling us to be optimistic."

"Yeah, but that's when bad things happen to other people."

She chuckled softly. "Okay, okay. Let's get to Glory. We can get our homework done there, together. Perhaps we can salvage some of your grades in the process."

---------------------

Kevin straightened his tie nervously and wondered again why he was working at a cram school teaching English.

Truth be told, he had nearly walked out on the job at the onset, when the administrator of the school had the gall to ask him whether or not he was actually American. Apparently, certain parents had complained about the use of non-Caucasian English teachers in the school, arguing that their children were not getting a world class education from "non-Americans."

Kevin had simply tossed his passport on the table in front of him, before immediately going into salary negotiations in his best King's English.

The administrator, educated at Oxford and Eton, had been sufficiently impressed that he had apprenticed him to his most famous cram school teacher and now Kevin simply waited for his class to trickle in. The teacher himself seemed like an upright enough fellow, ready for the job that he had undertaken.

He was dealing with a crop of new high school kids, teaching them the wonderful nuances of English to better prepare them for standardized tests. The school had even been so kind as to provide a syllabus and materials for him to follow. Stacks of worksheets and books covered the desk at the front of the room.

Somehow, it felt too arranged for his tastes. He passed it off as simple nervousness.

"Bin-kun!"

Kevin was shaken from his reverie by the joyous cry of his nickname. "Minako-chan!"

The blonde raced across the empty room and squeezing his breath out in a friendly hug. "Bin-kun, what are you doing here?"

He grinned and pointed to his tie and his jacket on the chair. "What does it look like?"

"No, you can't be teaching!" Minako's grin betrayed her joy.

"I think I would know whether or not I was. And unfortunately for you, I am." He mock glowered at her. "So you better watch yourself."

Minako giggled uncontrollably. The blue haired girl next to her rolled her eyes, then turned her cool gaze onto him. "So, you are the infamous American, Bin-kun."

"You have me at a disadvantage, I'm afraid."

Minako laughed. "Sorry guys, introductions! Kevin, meet Ami Mizuno, resident genius. Ami, the ever articulate Kevin Zhi, otherwise known as Bin-kun."

"Pleased to meet you finally." Kevin reached out to shake Ami's hand. "Minako has told me so much about you."

"Really?"

"Actually no, but it seemed like the right thing to say."

Ami shook her head. "Nice to meet you too. So, you're our English teacher?"

"A lesser one. A teaching assistant to help with the conversational aspects of American English."

"Sounds good." Ami patted down a wrinkle which had suddenly appeared in her skirt. Her blue eyes looked to the back of the room, seeing more students enter. "In that case, sensei, would it okay if we sat down?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not certain I like being called sensei. Makes me sound too old."

Minako smiled brightly. "No, I like it. It makes you sound sophisticated. Important. Sensei."

"Well...okay." Kevin grinned back. "Then you have my leave to sit. I will start class in five minutes."

---------------------

The teacher barked out his orders quickly, introducing himself as Tanaka-sensei. From the way his many students looked at him, he was a minor celebrity. Kevin had heard stories of cram school teachers and their cult followings, but had never believed them. He always supposed that it was simply a convenient advertising tool for the corporations which controlled the schools.

But he couldn't argue with the admiring looks that Tanaka-san got as he hurriedly went through the lesson plans of the day.

Kevin might have even found it amusing, had he not been so focused on being a helpful teacher's aide. He passed out English homework, engaged in mock conversations with Tanaka-sensei, and generally strove to look pretty at the front of the classroom.

Unlike most Japanese English teachers, Tanaka spoke a relatively understandable form of the language. Although there were definite Japanese inflections to the language itself, Tanaka's English was of a decidedly American bent.

It was comforting to Kevin, who responded to each of Tanaka's inquiries competently and listened as each of the students repeated the phrases spoken. Kevin singled out a student and corrected his pronunciation.

The teacher seemed surprised by the initiative, but smoothly moved to regain control of the situation by turning it into an impromptu diction section.

And so it continued.

Within fifteen minutes, Kevin was bored out of his mind. He wondered again how Artemis had managed to convince him to take the job.

---------------------

Minako stared at the American with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. To say the least, she was surprised to see him. If she had been a more paranoid person, she might have been convinced that he was stalking her. It just seemed a bit too coincidental for him to show up in her cram school, as a teacher no less.

But, as with most things, she took that revelation in stride. Teaching cram school was actually a reasonably profitable pastime, and there had been many American English teachers at Glory in past years. Most of them had been wayward college students, looking for something to do during the summer or recent graduates looking to see the world before settling down.

Yet, Kevin didn't seem to fit either of those molds. Intelligent, but understated. Driven, but modest. And his presence in Tokyo posed yet another part of the quandary.

A meter stick came down, whacking the desk in front of her. Tanaka-sensei glared down at her and Minako cringed slightly.

"No day dreaming in my class!"

"Sorry, Tanaka-sensei."

Kevin shot her a sympathetic look from the front of the classroom, before seamlessly continuing the lesson.

---------------------

"How long do you suppose she'll be in there?"

"A while. Tanaka-sensei has never liked Minako-chan very much." Ami tapped her foot on the concrete.

"Too bubbly for him? He seems like a dour sort of fellow."

"Something like that. Hates happy students."

Kevin snorted out a laugh. "I can tell. To tell the truth, I don't think he likes me very much either."

Ami giggled softly. "Tanaka-sensei has always been hard on his assistants. But you don't seem like the sort who likes playing sidekick."

He intoned dryly, "I suppose I wouldn't if I didn't speak English better than him. But that's life, ne?"

"Indeed, Bin-kun. Life isn't always idyllic, is it?"

"No, it most certainly isn't." Kevin turned his attention to the door again. "I hope she's not in too much trouble."

Ami smiled at him. "I wouldn't worry too much about Minako-chan. She's quite capable of taking care of herself."

"Oh I know that. It's just that we'll have to hear about it afterwards."

"That we will." The blue haired girl stared at the young American with a mix of predatory curiosity and trepidation. "You and Minako seemed to have hit it off rather well."

Kevin grinned slightly and spoke sarcastically. "Well you know, she can't resist my exotic good looks."

The girl giggled again. "Are you ever serious?"

"More often than I'd like to be. But Minako's a great girl. I'm honored to have her as a friend. How long have you known her?"

"A couple of years now. But it's seemed like forever."

"I know the feeling." The two lapsed into a comfortable silence until Minako stomped out of the door.

"I hate that man!" The blond furiously tossed her bookbag at the American.

Kevin caught it easily and shouldered it. "Minako-chan, you have some anger management problems."

Minako growled. "You would too, if you had to deal with Tanaka-sensei everyday." The American raised an eyebrow and she blushed slightly. "And you do. Sorry."

"No problem at all." Kevin sighed. "However, there are few problems so severe that they can't be solved with food. Might I treat you ladies to a soda or something?"

Minako beamed and grabbed at his arm. "I knew I liked you for a reason!"

She pulled him along quickly, outpacing a forgotten Ami on the way to the cafe. The blue haired girl made no effort to catch up, content with her slow pace along the sunny boardwalk, as she watched the couple make their way along.

He was a strange one, this American, and certainly not the usual run of Minako's victims. An understated, though obviously intelligent young man, who was not intimidated by her friend's formidable looks or overpowering personality. An unlikely combination.

What other surprises might this Kevin Zhi bring?

Ami smiled to herself as she did when faced with a quandary. 'Curiouser and curiouser.'


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The great brass door was battered in, its hinges torn off in the violence of the assault. It was four inches thick and defended the first great hall of the palace, built in a time when life on the Moon had not been quite as idyllic. The heavy door had been formed in the famed natural forges of Venus with rare metals harvested from the heart of Jupiter. It was a work of technological and aesthetic genius, converted in a peaceful time to a showcase for the most talented engravers in the system.

Giant fists had smashed against it, warping the metal with each terrible blow. The final strike had sent the door careening to the the other side of the room, crushing a young Lunarian soldier as it went. The enemy had flooded through the open gate, trying to overwhelm the defenders who had barricaded themselves inside.

But, even with the death of their senior commanders, the survivors of the Moon Guard had continued their harried defense underneath senshi command. A stalemated firefight had erupted as palace guards had been frantically rounded up to assist in the defense of the great hall. Gray bodies piled up next to the wall as Beryl's troops attempted to force their way in.

Wave after wave of Beryl's troops had been immolated underneath the fury of the senshi attacks, and it seemed as though the invasion had finally been halted. But the bodies began creep closer and closer to the makeshift defensive positions that the defenders hid behind.

The man made his way over the mountains of the dead. The senshi had retreated, despite managing to hold off the attackers. Why?

He pulled himself over the barricade and stumbled over a body clothed in blue.

Sailor Mercury, her joints already stiffening from rigor mortis, stared hack at him glassily. The man reached his hand out to touch the congealing blood that smeared her neck. The sounds of battle wafted gently through the air and he stood up suddenly.

The man spied a sword on the ground and knelt to pick it up. He wove it around uncomfortably, then snapped it up in a half remembered fencing position. The enemy had left him alive. They would not make that mistake again.

--------------------

Kevin's eyes flashed open and he looked around frantically, before settling down into ennui. The girl next to him looked at him strangely, then shook her head. He could almost see what was going through her mind. Crazy Americans.

He stirred his coffee slowly then gazed towards the campus outside. The sun blazed down through the window, casting the long shadows of trees through the window. Well manicured hedges and flower beds wrapped around modern buildings, through which neat avenues connected place to place.

Kevin glanced at his watch before downing the rest of his coffee in a single gulp. He had class in twenty minutes, and needed to walk quickly to reach it. The sun warmed his face and he loosened his collar slightly to let air down his shirt.

The day was an especially nice one, with large fluffy clouds dotting a wonderfully blue sky. A slight wind had picked up, blowing the heat of summer away with a dying wheeze. The forecasts had indicated a heavy shower later in the evening, but for now Kevin smiled at the glorious weather as a gift from a friendly god.

The campus was bustling as usual, with students and faculty rushing from place to place as if they had some unalterable deadline that they had to make. A group of high-schoolers dressed in their pseudo-military sailor style walked along with a tour guide, no doubt bragging about the pinnacle of Japanese higher education.

So far, Kevin had not been impressed. His expectation of Todai had been that of a great and ancient university, where the search for knowledge would be held in cafes and classrooms, where policies and theories might be brought forth as stepping stones towards social good, where the marketplace of ideas would discern lesser from greater in the pursuit of ultimate truth. Admittedly idealistic, but certainly not unreasonable.

What he had found was an institution in the dual vise of tradition and politics, that could not move beyond its past and would forever be inferior because of it.

Perhaps no class better personified that than Kevin's Modern Japanese History course. He hadn't had especially high expectations for the course, but was not prepared for the excessive revisionism and almost fascist disregard of historical fact that the faculty exhibited. World War II had been passed off as an unfortunate event that had engulfed many nations and was caused by a number of factors. The colonial occupation of Korea was a minor historical footnote, with the positives of hydroelectricity and minor economic growth outweighing the negatives of forced prostitution, feudalism, and slave labor. The Rape of Nanking? A historical irrelevancy.

Kevin's Chinese heritage did not mesh well with those easy denials. His grandfather had been a soldier in the Chinese army, led by Chiang Kai Shek in the valiant but futile defense of Shanghai, his maternal grandmother a witness to the atrocities at Nanking. It sent a chill down his spine that such things could be ignored so easily, dismissed so casually.

In such cases, it was easy to determine right and wrong. Life usually was not quite as ideal.

As he passed by the school group, one of the girls smiled at him, winked, and giggled. Kevin reflected idly that some of his friends might have creamed their pants at such an event. He didn't quite understand it, the American fetish with schoolgirls. He supposed it had something to with innocence and purity, and the corruption of said qualities.

It was not a particularly enlightened commentary on American culture, but he preferred it to the one where he was trapped now.

A wistful smile played over his features. Not that Japan was all bad. Minako intrigued him, addling his mind much in the way that beautiful girls did to teenaged guys.

She was an extraordinary person, a tightly wound ball of cheerful ditziness and happy energy that could not help but enliven the people around her. Her blue-eyed gaze could elicit a smile with a single glance.

Yet within those aqua depths, Kevin detected something beyond the shallow facade which she presented. Intelligence was one thing and he had finally begun to pry open that bugaboo and show Minako that she was smarter than she wanted to admit. According to Artemis, his presence at the cram school had already improved her grades immensely.

But on an even deeper level, Kevin sensed that there was something amiss with Minako. Throughout his conversations with her, he had managed to glean the fact that she had never had a steady boyfriend. That revelation had piqued his interest.

He supposed that on some base level, he was attracted to her. Kevin suspected that most men were. She was a charming young lady, prettier and smarter than most. A perfect catch if you asked him.

Which made it all the stranger that she was unattached and had been so for some time. It was with those puzzling thoughts which he ascended the stairs to the social science building.

He had one more class for the rest of the day, a basic social psychology class which he coul pass without any reasonable difficulty. He had taken an abnormally rigorous basic psychology class back at Amherst and did not anticipate any difficulties with the material this early in the term.

He took his usual seat near the back corner of the class, where he could sleep without anybody spotting him.

To his immense surprise, someone came to sit next to him.

"Good afternoon, Bin-kun. Is anyone sitting here?"

Kevin was jolted out of his lethargy by the smiling face of Ami Mizuno. "Ami-san! Sorry, I didn't notice you. No, no one is sitting here."

"Thanks." Ami shifted the bookbag off her shoulder and to the ground. "How are you doing?"

"Alright, I suppose. A little surprised to see you here, I have to admit."

"I was recently granted special dispensation to take college courses here. It took a little while for the paper work to get through."

"Which is why you weren't in the first class?"

Ami nodded. "I hope I haven't missed too much."

Kevin snorted out a laugh. "You are enough of an overachiever that you don't have too much to worry about."

"Well, I will be relying on you to keep me up to speed." Ami reached into her bag and pulled out a notepad and pen.

"It would be my pleasure." Kevin smiled ruefully. "I guess I'll be teaching quite a bit while in Japan."

"You are an excellent teacher!" Ami grinned. "Minako-chan thinks you're one of the best she's ever had."

"You're making that up."

"No, I'm completely serious. Her grades are so much higher now. I think you must to be blame."

"I think you are overestimating my role, but I'm glad she's doing so much better now."

Ami fixed him with a penetrating stare. "It's been an amazing transformation. I don't think I've ever seen someone affect her so much."

Kevin's voice turned slightly suspicious. "Really, now. Am I missing some part of this conversation?"

"Not at all, Bin-kun. I was simply commenting on the fact that you're a positive influence on her." Ami's tone betrayed nothing.

Kevin pursed his lips. "Right."

She continued as if she hadn't heard him. "You know, Minako-chan is a rather complex girl."

He nodded. "Oh I do know that. She's really quite interesting. I'm not sure if I understand her at all."

"From her perspective, you've come closer than many others."

"Really?" Kevin's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I thought her friends might be better in that regard than me."

"In case you hadn't noticed, you're her friend too. She finds you easy to talk to."

"Her words?"

"They are."

"Huh." Kevin started to respond, but was interrupted by the rapping of the instructor's meter stick on the ground, signaling the beginning of class.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Is there something wrong, Minako-chan?"

The blond looked up suddenly, then smiled quickly. "No, I'm okay."

Kevin stared at her intently for a moment. She had been ill at ease for the entire time, spending most of her time staring into her soda, as if there was some cosmic wisdom to be gleaned from it. He shrugged slightly before returning to his book.

Suddenly, she blurted out. "My parents say I need a tutor."

"Oh? I don't think you do. Ami said your grades are going up."

"I know. I know." She pursed her lips. "But apparently not enough."

"Parental expectations suck, don't they? You'll never quite live up to them."

Minako sighed plaintively. "I suppose not."

Kevin grinned and took a sip of his drink before replying. "What do you need help in?"

"Ami is helping me with math and science stuff. History is fine. My biggest problem is with English right now."

A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Your English is pretty good, I think."

"But my grammar sucks. I need someone to help me with that and go over my essays and things like that."

Kevin nodded slowly and returned to his book. "Who did you have in mind as a tutor?"

She stared at him, wondering if it was density or modesty which made him answer in that way. Deciding on the latter, Minako smiled shyly. "I was wondering if you might do it."

"Me?" Kevin seemed surprised. "Are you sure you want me to tutor you?"

"Why wouldn't I? You teach juku. You're American. And before I forget, you're a genius. You'd be perfect."

"Well, for starters, I'm not a great teacher at juku. Tanaka-sensei hates me-"

"Great he hates me too!"

"-and I'm not nearly as smart as I wish I was. I'm certain there are many other more qualified people you can find."

"But I don't know any of them!" Minako widened her eyes and stuck out her lower lip. "Please!"

Kevin lowered his book slightly and gave her a stern look. "Don't even try that with me. I'm immune."

She giggled and slapped him lightly on the arm. "Come on! I really need the help. Pretty please!"

He had no more arguments for that and his hand snaked out to grab his drink. She stared at him insistently and his hesitation indicated his surrender.

Minako's house was located on a strangely suburban lane, with a line of trees that provided shade to the otherwise sparse streets. Unlike its American counterparts, this suburb had no lawns, a luxury too expensive even for this upper class neighborhood.

As they neared her home, she pulled away from him, lest an alert neighbor take notice of her new boytoy. Kevin's eyebrows raised slightly at that revelation, but had no time to digest it as she brightly began to greet every she could see.

Whether an old playmate or an ancient neighbor, she seemed to be able to dredge up a personal question, about a favored son in university or the state of one's flowerbeds. She flitted from person to person easily, leaving Kevin to feel slightly uncomfortable until she introduced him as her tutor. Then, with the elegance of someone much older, she would weave him into the conversation, making him an active participant rather than an awkward spectator.

And that, he reflected silently, made her amazing. Kevin smiled charmingly again, reaching out to take the hand of another of Minako's countless friends.

As they passed the last one, Minako's grin never wavered and she skipped along the sidewalk merrily, leaving Kevin behind easily. He continued at his slow pace, savoring each step. If only for a moment, he imagined he was back home in Boston. A wistful smile crossed his face...

Minako snapped him out of his thoughts with an insistent tap of the foot. "Come on, lazy! Let's get to my house some time today."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because I am." She favored him with an idiotic grin. "Come on. We've got lots of studying to do!"

Kevin gazed at her, a faint trace of amusement dancing through his eyes. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him impishly. He chuckled and picked up the pace.

Minako pushed open the door and called out loudly. "Mom! I'm home." She hesitated for a moment, then called out again so as not to surprise her mother. "I've brought a guest!"

An almost irritated voice called out from the kitchen, "Minako-chan! Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" The blond woman pushed her way out of the kitchen and stopped immediately when she saw Kevin standing in the doorway.

And at that moment, Minako was thankful that Kevin had taken the time to dress up for the tutoring session. A loose black silk dress shirt clung to his upper body, with the sleeves rolled up to just before the elbows. He wore black dress pants and shoes, every single element of his clothing complementing his dark hair and penetrating gaze.

Kevin had casually slung his semi-formal jacket over his shoulder, in a move that seemed oddly appropriate. He sauntered up slowly to Minako's mother and bowed slightly at the waist. "Aino-san. I'm so happy to finally meet you. I'm Kevin."

She perked up suddenly. "Ah, the tutor! I am surprised you were able to get here so quickly! When Minako called me today and said she had found a tutor, I had assumed that the first session would not be for a couple of days."

"Nonsense! I was happy to start immediately. Minako expressed her wish to improve her grades. I have seen few students so willing and able to improve. I trust that excellent parenting had something to do with it."

The mother bowed politely. "We are very proud of her. I hope you can help her. Why don't you two go upstairs to work and I'll be up in a moment with refreshments."

Kevin bowed again and then gestured to Minako.

As soon as they were out of her mother's view, Minako elbowed him fiercely in the ribs. "What on earth was that?"

"Whatever could you mean Minako-chan?" Kevin's voice was genial, even jovial.

"Jeez, talk about kissing up!"

"Hey, she's writing the checks. I am not so stupid as to bite the hand which provides me discretionary income."

She moved to slap him, but he blocked it deftly and raced up the stairs before she could move. Minako laughed aloud and ruefully began to chase him.

"What do you need help with exactly?"

"You're the teacher, aren't you supposed to know?"

"You drafted me into service, remember? I'm here at your request."

"Fine, fine. Actually making me work at this." Minako opened her pack and tossed him the book. "Chapter 15."

Kevin caught it deftly and settled himself easily into a chair by the window. He flipped it open quickly, and began to page through it.

His forehead furrowed in an expression of complete concentration, betraying a surprising clarity of emotion that she had seen few times before.

Kevin was an enigma to her. Rarely had she encountered someone who could hide emotions as well as he could. To her, he was no more than a blank and confusing slate of conflicting signals.

As he read her book, it looked as if he had aged thirty years in less than a minute. His youthful features seemed just a bit sharper, his dimpled cheeks gaunt with smooth competence, his eyes weary with the wisdom of ages past.

And then, just like that, the years disappeared and the Kevin she knew reappeared, with nothing but a sheepish, open grin.

'He changes so quickly.' Minako recalled an old Celtic fairy tale she had once heard in England. It was a story of a shapeshifting creature that would creep into the home of a new mother and replace her baby with one of its own. 'He's a changeling.'

She had never believed in such nonsense, but the thought sent a chill down her spine.

But those thoughts were quelled by his disarming smile and unassuming manner. Minako smiled in spite of herself, then moved to grab her computer chair.

She wheeled it next to him and gazed at the book over his shoulder.

Kevin spoke quietly in American accented English. "Perhaps it would be easier if we spoke in English. I can correct you on your grammar and you can get some practice on the accent and speaking."

"Okay." Minako tossed her hair behind her back. "Let's begin."


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The clock chimed out eight times and Kevin sipped slowly at his coffee. The fluorescent lighting still gave him headaches, worse than ever, but he accepted them as a consequence of his research.

So far, it had not been all that fruitful. He and the good professor had spent the past few months retracing the steps of other researchers, who had grappled with the questions they struggled to answer. They hadn't even begun the necessary rounds of interviews to better understand why the Japanese youth preferred text messaging to actual conversation, instant messaging programs, and email.

He paged through a journal quickly, skimming one of the articles and then tossing it onto the table in disgust. Kevin moved over to fire up the ancient computer in the room. 'Better to work on interview questions than retrace the same steps over and over again.'

He checked his watch and then gazed unnecessarily at the clock on the wall. 'Late again.'

That his professor had not been the most responsible research advisor was a large understatement. The man preferred to spend more time with geisha girls than in the office, and Kevin was quickly becoming frustrated with the lack of progress they had made.

Kevin opened up the word document they had composed and hit the print button.

His pocket beeped insistently, and he pulled out his cellphone. Kevin flipped it open and scanned the message quickly.

'A text message,' he thought with no small sense of irony.

Kevin glanced at his watch, then grabbed his coat on the way out.

--------------------

The leaves had just begun to change colors, giving the land a wonderful reddish-orange glow. The morning sun had not yet taken the chill out of the air, and Kevin smiled. It reminded him a little of Massachusetts in the fall.

The sun had barely begun to peak out from behind the massive skyscrapers on the skyline, sending streams of light down through the trees. Kevin followed the speckled sidewalk to a familiar breakfast shop, where a cheerful blond waved at him happily.

"You're late!"

"I had to walk from the other side of campus. You should be more patient."

Minako giggled and pushed through the swinging door. The smell of warm coffee assaulted his senses, and Kevin shivered with barely controlled anticipation.

It was a weakness. He had already had two cups earlier and looked forward to another of the warm, bitter liquid. He shivered again and tossed himself into the booth seat which Minako had chosen.

She smiled brightly. "What's up?"

Kevin motioned to a waitress before answering. "I should ask the same of you. Isn't this campus a little out of the way of Juuban?"

Minako shrugged easily. "Class field trip. Get to visit the wonderful campus of Tokyo University and learn why we should go here."

"Where's your tour group?"

She waved her hand with an artless grace. "Ditched them. I'd rather spend the morning with you."

Kevin grinned back and took a sip of his newly arrived coffee. "While I do appreciate the gesture, I don't think that your teachers would appreciate your noble sentiments. When they notice you're missing, they might get a little worried."

"Oh come on. Unless you take forever to eat, I'll be gone for less than 45 minutes. And if my calculations are correct, they'll be hitting the social science buildings by then. I can slip in without any significant problems."

"How do you figure?"

She pulled out a slip of paper from her bag. "Well, the schedule says that in fifteen minutes we're supposed to be at the botanical gardens. My teacher is obsessed with Casablanca lilies, so I figure that they're going to spend lots of time there. Long story short, they're going to be late and I'm going to have plenty of time to get there before them. Satisfied?"

"You know, if you put this much effort into your school work..." Kevin trailed off as he stirred more cream and sugar into his drink.

Minako rolled her eyes as if she had heard the argument a million times before. "Blah blah blah. I can take care of myself, Kevin."

"And yet you need my tutoring?" Kevin responded smoothly with just the faintest hint of a smile.

"Of course. Unlike men, women know when they can learn from other people. Even when they can take care of themselves."

His forehead furrowed with amusement. "Which is why they are the superior gender, of course."

She made a face at him. "Are you mocking me? I think you're mocking me."

Kevin laughed heartily and Minako waved her spoon at him threateningly. "Don't make me come over there."

That just made him chuckle harder, until a goofy grin crossed her face.

--------------------

At his request, she did go back to her tour group. As she expected, they were still at the botanical gardens when she arrived.

Minako slipped through a side door to join the back of her group. Ami, ever the responsible student, greeted her with a careful grin and a chastising gesture.

"And where were you?"

"Getting breakfast."

Ami raised her eyebrows. "With Kevin?"

Minako grinned sheepishly. "Who else? I mean, he's the only person I know here."

"Ah."

The blond glanced at her friend suspiciously. "Uh oh. I've heard that before. What are you thinking now?"

Ami chuckled softly. "Why are my actions so suspicious to you?"

"You're thinking something. I know that grin, that tone of voice. If you have something to say, say it!"

The blue haired girl shrugged. "It is unimportant."

"Right. Out with it."

Ami spoke slowly. "If I didn't know better, I might think that you liked him."

Minako laughed loudly, drawing a glare from her teacher. She's clapped her hand over her mouth and waited until the teacher was looking away before whispering. "No, I'm not really interested. He's just a really fun guy to be with."

"Really."

"Really!" Minako opened her mouth to answer before a loud noise jolted her from her comfortable reverie.

It took her a moment to identify the sound as one she had only heard before in movies.

The loud chatter of gunfire tore through the air and her entire class froze before her teacher screamed out for everyone to drop to the ground.

Minako quickly appraised the situation and then looked to Ami. She sensed fear in her friend's eyes, but Ami nodded quickly.

The blond glanced at her classmates for a moment, then scrambled on all fours to the door with Ami close behind.

--------------------

It was pure instinct. The metal wand appeared on its own accord and Kevin wrapped his hand around it, grasping it in a white knuckled grip.

The words flowed easily, said this time in a whisper instead of a scream. White light curved about him, infusing the powers of a Lunar mage into Kevin's body.

When he opened his eyes again, he was almost overwhelmed with the information that flooded his senses. When on patrol, Kevin had learned to suppress his heightened abilities, to better cope with the sensory data that surrounded him. Yet, he knew instinctively that those bits of information might be the difference between life and death. To ignore them now would be insane.

He whispered a half forgotten teleportation spell and appeared at the scene with a pop of displaced air.

Three men with red armbands and automatic weapons riddled the walls of a local bank with bullets. Most bystanders had already vanished from the scene. No doubt the goal was the robbing of the bank. All in all, it seemed rather simple.

Of course, on an intellectual level, it was significantly more interesting. The red armbands of the gunmen in question identified them as members of the Japanese Red Army, a holdover of student radicals from the Cold War. Kevin had assumed they had disappeared with the fall of the USSR, but he was obviously wrong.

Whoever they were, they would be stopped. Kevin prepared to hurl himself into the nearest attacker, only to see an orange beam slice through the air. It converged with the farthest gunman, burning through his shoulder and dropping him to the ground with the smell of burnt flesh. The other two gunmen turned towards their assailant, peppering Sailor Venus with sprays of steel jacketed bullets.

--------------------

The metal hail slammed into her, knocking her over onto the ground. Minako ducked instinctively behind a concrete outpost, trying to catch her breath. Ami moved quickly to her side, checking for wounds.

The blond shook her head. "Nothing big. Those bullets pack a punch though. I think there will be bruises on my chest tomorrow."

"It could be far worse."

"True." Minako doubled over in pain. "It's like getting punched. Really, really hard."

"I can imagine." Ami peeked over the barrier then ducked back down as a spray of bullets whizzed over her head. "Well, unless you want to brave those shots again, it seems like we're at a slight stalemate."

"Ugh." Sailor Venus rubbed her stomach. "Is there any way to get around them? A covered path, something?"

"I'm not sure-" Sailor Mercury stopped and cocked her head curiously. "Strange, the bullet fire isn't coming towards us anymore."

"What?" Minako craned to see above the barrier. An armored figure held his hand up high, watching carefully as bullets splintered off of a barely visible force shield in front of him. The style of the clothing and the crescent moon sigil on his jacket betrayed his origins as Lunarian. The pattering sound of bullets let up slightly as one of the gunmen fluidly replaced a spent magazine in his rifle. A slight strain crossed the Lunarian's face as he struggled to maintain the protective shield in front of him.

The attacker which her Venus Crescent Beam had downed shifted slightly, bringing his loaded gun to bear on the warrior's unprotected side. She was about to scream out a warning, when he waved his hand dismissively, bending the steel barrel back with less effort than she would brush a few errant grains of sand from her fingers.

Sailor Mercury touched her earring, activating the supercomputer that accompanied her into battle. She murmured softly, "Lunar magic."

Sardonically, "I can see that, yes."

"And powerful too. According to my historical records, the spells he is using are consistent with a high level Lunar mage."

Minako stood up quickly. "The details can wait. He needs help and we can't afford to wait."

"Agreed. Mercury Aqua Mirage!" A massive ball of water issued forth from the blue senshi's hands. The attack smashed into a second gunman and threw him against the wall. He groaned softly then slumped over into unconsciousness.

The last attacker decided discretion was the better part of valor and began to retreat from a clearly losing situation.

--------------------

Kevin lowered his shield wearily as his opponent fled from him. A sly smile crossed his face. At this range, a psionic assault would be the most appropriate move to use. An easy spell that would disable or kill most enemies with consummate ease. Simple, powerful, and fitting.

'Like a bug.' Kevin lifted his hand in a strangely elegant fashion, to cut back down in a vicious movement.

And then he froze. Kevin trembled softly before lowering his hand to his side. The attacker continued to run, until a mob of police converged on him. The gunman fired off another shot, dropping an officer to the ground before being battered into unconsciousness with a billy club.

He let out a broken breath and looked around before disappearing with a teleportation spell.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It was a blessedly calm night. There was just a slight breeze, even at the altitude at which he stood.

Kevin stood quietly at his usual skyscraper haunt, testing the cool waters of the psychic realm. Quickly enough, he found that there was nothing considerably wrong that night.

Artemis coughed quietly and the man turned back to face him. The cat stared at him intently, before offering cautiously. "So, I saw you on the news today..."

Kevin retorted sarcastically, "Really. I hadn't noticed the publicity"

Artemis was silent for a moment before reply softly. "Is anything the matter, Retainer?"

The man rubbed his forehead and sighed. "No, Artemis. Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired is all."

"I see." The cat was clearly not convinced. Nevertheless, he continued as if he hadn't noticed Kevin's dodge. "I was actually just going to congratulate you for your work. As a Retainer, you're responsible not only for the defense of Serenity but your greater duty is to the people of this world. I just want you to know that I approve."

"Thanks, Artemis. I appreciate that." Kevin fell silent again.

Artemis waited for a moment, then plunged in again. "But...something is bothering you, yes?"

Kevin hesitated, then blurted out suddenly. "It was too easy. Teleportation, then that shield," he rattled off in incomplete thoughts, then lowered his voice slightly. "I bent back the barrel of his gun with just the movement of my hand."

"That is excellent! It means that you are truly coming to terms with your full potential. I think you are more powerful than I ever imagined, Kevin."

"I didn't even think about it." The American sounded as if he was almost pleading with the cat.

"So much the better. There will be a day when you are thankful for that ease of use. I promise you that."

-

She stopped by a small fishpond, isolated from the rest of the garden by a row of neatly trimmed willows which swayed slightly in the spring wind. Minako brushed an errant strand of hair out of her face and examined what exactly she had found.

The water was crystal clear, winding through the trees with calculated randomness. A few flowers were sprinkled here and there, interspersed with wide expanses of grass and knee high shrubs. Except for the distant sound of a songbird and the swishing sound of willow branches, it was silent. She had never seen this part of the garden before and Minako knelt down to enjoy it.

It was some time before she realized that she was not alone.

Her tone was clear, but not accusatory. "When did you get here?"

The man in armor shrugged. "Whenever. I don't tend to keep track of these things."

Minako tossed her head back and mock glared at him. "Well, didn't your mother ever teach you that it was bad manners to sneak up on a lady's alone time?"

"I approached with all the grace and subtlety of a stampeding war stallion. You were so wrapped up in yourself that you did not notice me." The faintest hint of a smile crossed over the man's face. "I really can't be held responsible for your lack of observational skill, Princess Venus."

She returned smoothly. "Perhaps. But does not a gentleman know how and when to announce his presence?"

"Perhaps I am at fault. I am quite sorry." The faintly sardonic nature of his voice indicated that he was nothing of the sort.

"As it should be." The princess giggled softly and the two settled down into a comfortable silence.

-

Minako awoke with a sudden intake of breath, her mind beginning to wrap itself around the dream. Her formidable mental processes instantly analyzed the significance of the dream. By sheer force of habit, she grabbed her diary from the nightstand and began to write.

Impressions, thoughts, concerns, anxieties. All went into the orange book with the heart shaped padlock. It was a habit that had continued over since her senshi days, when Minako had approached each hour as her last. Somehow, she had felt the yearning need to make her mark upon the world, to have a record of her accomplishments and feats however insignificant they might have been.

Now, it served more of a cathartic purpose, a way to organize her thoughts and feelings into a coherent form. She finished off the entry with a flaring signature before slamming the book shut and locking it with a satisfying snap. Minako smiled contentedly in the half light and almost flopped back down to bed.

Her senses peaked just for a moment, and all the senshi-trained awareness came flooding back to her. Minako looked around quickly, as if scanning for enemies, then stared at the ceiling in puzzlement.

It was nearly a minute before she realized what she was feeling. The girl leaped out of bed, and rummaged through her schoolbag for her henshin stick.

There was an opportunity that night. She would not miss it.

-

Kevin drew in his breath quickly. "But, what if it happens again? What if I lose control of it?"

Artemis looked at him strangely. "Why are you so worried about that, Kevin? I mean, you're forgetting that these powers are a fundamental part of your being. Familiarity is the price we pay for readiness. It is a rather small concession."

He nodded glumly. "I'm just still so uncomfortable with the entire thing."

"Again, it's natural for you to feel that way. But remember, Kevin, you can't feel that way forever. Sooner or later, everything will depend on you. You can't escape your destiny.

The cat's tone turned harder. "Not every battle will be like that at the university. Your enemies will seek to destroy innocent life. There are no more choices to make. You must do you duty."

Kevin winced at the tone of finality which Artemis took. "Harsh."

"I can only try to prepare you for the arduous tasks you are to undertake. I would be remiss in my duty if I did not."

The American chuckled heavily. "Fair enough, Artemis. Fair enough. I ought to get back to patrolling anyway."

"Indeed you should. I'll get out of your way." The cat turned to leave, then hesitated slightly. "Are you busy next Saturday evening?"

Kevin turned back to face Artemis. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"Just curious. That's all." The cat trotted away quickly. "Have a good night, Retainer."

He stared at the retreating cat for a moment, before returning morosely to the solace of his own thoughts.

-

Minako looked up at the sky, reaching out with her senses to find the familiar presence. Her detection abilities were nothing near those of Rei or Michiru's, but she did have some small talents in that area. She walked quickly, refusing to meet the eyes of the people around her. Even though Tokyo was perhaps the safest city in the world to be in at night, it was still not advisable for a young girl to walk around alone.

Japanese salarymen tended to get a bit friskier after a day of unrelenting work and a night of gratuitous alcohol consumption. Minako dodged a pair of drunken businessmen, then ducked into an alleyway.

The presence was closer now and she wanted to transform, to better announce her identity and pursue him if necessary.

With a push of magically enhanced muscles, Sailor Venus vaulted herself on top of the nearest building. Her skirt fluttered softly in the wind and she untied her Love Me Chain from about her waist.

She twirled it around her hands a couple of times and looked around, listening to the air around her. Then, with a violent movement, she hurled the chain as far as she could, lopping it around a cement outcropping on a nearby skyscraper. Minako tested its strength and then swung over, beginning to climb the chain as she did.

Although Sailor Venus could easily hurdle two or three story buildings, the towers which dominated central Tokyo were a bit too high even for a senshi's leaps. The heart shaped links cut into her gloved hands, but she ignored the pain, gaining altitude with each swing.

-

Kevin was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he almost did not notice the niggling feeling at the back of his mind.

He made a surprised sound, unsure what to make of it. It was a tickling feeling, unable to be ignored even when he turned his mind to other things.

Kevin scratched his head in a vain attempt to rid himself of it, then gave up as he wondered what exactly it was. 'Perhaps it's a signal of some sort.'

He chuckled a bit at that. Some small time ago, he wouldn't have even entertained that thought. Kevin had once thought himself too rational to consider such flights of fancy. Even now, he was averse to thinking that the slightest feeling meant something...

Suddenly, the feeling in his mind tore to the front of his consciousness and he began to run.

-

'Damn, he's fast!' Minako vaulted the last two stories only to see her target's fleeing backside. She began to sprint across the rooftop after him.

Quickly, she did some quick calculations, then hurled her Love Me Chain, to trip him up and stall him. The chain sailed through the air, and wrapped around his arm. She pulled with a strength borne of desperation, knocking him off his feet. The speed which he whirled back up onto his feet confirmed her suspicions that this was no ordinary human gallivanting about in costume.

The chain slithered back into her hands and Minako prepared to toss it again. The chain again sailed through the air, this time deflecting on a newly formed energy shield. And through that hazy barrier, Minako got her first good look at her prey. The mask vanquished any chance she might have had of identifying him, but he seemed familiar for some reason.

He probably had a distinctive face, a strong chin and piercing brown eyes. Minako thought she detected a flash of recognition through the mask, but could not be sure as he began an evasion path worthy of an escape artist.

He had planned his escape route well, replete with obstacles to get in her way and many turns, preventing her from lassoing him with her chain. The man was fast, smart, and well trained...she could already tell.

But facing him was a pursuer as dedicated and intelligent as he was, with a bit more experience to top it off. Minako ruthlessly hounded him across the rooftops, shaving centimeters off the distance between them with each turn. She was a couple of meters away from him when he suddenly stopped and threw up another shield.

She skidded to a stop, a hair away from the surging induction field, before taking a moment to gain her bearings.

They had stopped at the edge of a skyscraper and there were few other tall buildings in sight to leap to.

The man had obviously come to the same conclusion, and his cool eyes looked for an out to the situation. A heavy silence filled the air, punctuated by ragged puffs of breath.

Sailor Venus said softly. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The man shook his head and stared intently at her. "That is none of your concern, Princess Venus."

Minako continued softly, yet with an undeniable steel beneath her voice. "We seem to be on the same side. And you seem to know me. I'd say that it is very much so my concern."

"Perhaps, Princess Venus." The man bowed slightly, then half grinned. "But you will not find the answers you seek tonight."

And with that, the man disappeared with a whoosh of moving air, with nothing save a slight breeze to betray his presence. Sailor Venus looked around plaintively, knowing already that it was a futile gesture. She sighed with exasperation then began to trudge back home.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"This close, Artemis!" Minako fell back onto the bed, tossing her henshin stick onto the desk carelessly.

The cat cocked his head slightly. "Do you know who he was?"

"No clue." She made a curious noise of displeasure, then sighed. "Whoever he is, he's a fast one."

"In what way?" Artemis inquired softly.

"In every way. He's nearly lost me several times, before I cornered him and he teleported out. Enhanced speed, high jumper, and has an artist's talent for evasion. Creative bastard."

The cat pawed at his whiskers questioningly. "Perhaps I can help you identify him. You mentioned that he might be Silver Millenium in origin."

"Yeah, dark blue uniform, a little bit like the Dark General's one, but softer lines. Cape, and I think there is a crescent sigil on his arm. Powerful spells too. Energy shields, teleportation, telekinesis. From what I saw, he's working pretty much on instinct. I saw him hesitate in battle a little while back. I think that might be a sign of inexperience. I'm not too sure."

Artemis said nothing and began to groom his paws carefully. It was a pensive gesture and Minako took the time to take off her jacket and begin to dress for bed.

It was a while before he spoke again. "I can only assume that he was a military man of some sort. The outfit you describe is very close to the uniform of the Moon Guard, an defense force of sorts under Serenity. If he has powers, then he was probably a mage of some sort, maybe attached to the army as an advisor or something. Other than that, I am as clueless as you."

The cat was aghast at how much she had already figured out. Through simple assumption and logical conclusion, she had deduced a lot about his charge and would no doubt find out more with time.

Artemis supposed it was inevitable. Minako had not been assigned leadership of the senshi because of a pretty face. Serenity had seen the leadership potential in the young girl and forced her to take on more and more responsibilities. There was still a hint of the old Venus in Minako, an active and unrelenting problem solver. It manifested itself less and less these days, but had come to a happy equilibrium with the other personality which inhabited her body.

He hated to deceive her, but occasionally he needed to take matters into his own paws. He could not risk Minako getting too close to Kevin. To know him as an ally and a friend would wreck all of Artemis's delicately laid plans. It would cause the senshi to lapse back into the playful indolence that peacetime brought. It was a deadly behavior, at best.

He felt it in the deepest recesses of his bones. The visions he had seen were inauspicious ones. At times he imagined Tokyo set aflame by the breath of some omnipotent foe. Other times Artemis saw the evil growing organically from the heart of the city or descending from above. There were too many for it to be coincidental.

He could not know how or why the evil would come about. The cat only knew that it would be coming, and that he had to prepare for its eventuality. That would simply have to be enough.

Artemis half smiled. "Minako-chan, if I may, I have a suggestion."

"Shoot."

"Well, this man you speak of. You said that you detected no evil from him?"

The blond shook her head. "No, he seemed to be rather good in that regard. I am pretty certain we are on the same side. But I can't imagine why he would show up now. Of all times to get an ally, he chooses peace."

The cat shrugged. "You can't really choose when and where your allies arrive."

"I suppose not. It's just infuriating." Minako plopped down into her chair and propped her legs up on the desk.

In utterly reasonable tones, "Of course. But, Minako-chan, you must learn when and where to fight your battles. At this point, it might do you better to spend more time on life outside of Sailor Venus. There are more important things to attend to rather than mysterious strangers and all that."

She chuckled heavily. "But then where would all the spice in life be?"

The cat began to lick his paws pensively. "I am quite certain that the life of Minako holds enough excitement for both of us. You have serious school work these days, not to mention a certain social event to attend soon."

"Ah! The charity ball, I completely forgot! This thing has completely frazzled me Artemis."

"Perhaps you ought to concentrate on being a high schooler again. It isn't a sin, you know."

She giggled. "Weren't you the one who kept on telling us that we had to patrol the city every night, keeping an eye out for trouble?"

"Even an old feline like me can have a change of heart and opinion." The cat smiled. "Go to sleep, Minako-chan. I trust that the morning will bring slightly more clarity to your problems."

"One hot coffee." Motoki poured the cup in front of him and yawned. "You're up early."

Kevin coughed and stirred in a sugar cube. "To be honest, I didn't sleep too well. If I'm going to be up, I might as well be up and productive."

"I always thought you were a masochistic one." Motoki yawned again before pouring himself a cup of dark tea.

"And you. What are you doing up so early?"

"Just tending the shop. A poor med student who needs a bit more cash to support his lifestyle and girlfriend."

Kevin chuckled and reached for a milk. He would have preferred to take his coffee black, although he knew his stomach would rebel against that. It was still a little too queasy from the chase the previous night.

In the silence of that very early morning, he tried to understand what he had seen. Princess Venus had seen him, piercing his carefully laid stealth routines and Artemis's careful planning. She had found him, although he had no reason to suspect that she had even seen him before. So, he was up against somebody with deeper avenues of intelligence that he.

Oddly, it did not frighten him and he could not quite explain why.

"What are you up to today?" Motoki's question allowed Kevin to escape that worrying thought.

"Eh, your usual. Classes then teaching. Dinner, some black magic and hopefully a quick broomstick ride before dark."

Motoki couldn't suppress a smile. "Sounds like a terribly boring day."

Kevin nodded, "You're telling me. I get depressed thinking about it."

"Then why are you up so early? Sleep would certainly be a way to avoid thinking about it until you have to deal with it."

"Yes, well." Kevin yawned. "Call it force of habit. Gotta wake up and be productive. Even when being awake is a hazard to myself and those around me."

Motoki shook his head. "For such a smart guy, you have a noted lack of survival instinct."

"What can I say?" Kevin took another sip of coffee. "Darwin forgot."

The wind picked up for a bit, whipping into her like a cold knife. Her blue eyes shot to the sky for a moment in an annoyed glance. She shivered and clutched her jacket around her stiffly. It was unseasonably cold, even for Tokyo, and that annoyed her.

It had been a cold eternity since she last thought about it. But there it was, staring her in the face. Artemis's innocent comment had spawned a dozen divergent thoughts within her. She knew that part of it was a superficial want to have a partner for a simple dance, a urge driven by genetics and social mores. She smiled at the shallowness of that thought.

Her mind wandered back to other dances she had been to, the fun she had had with dates. An image of the Saijou Ace pushed its way to the top of her mind and her clear blue eyes closed in pain. She cursed softly and leaned against a nearby wall.

She idly considered punching it before a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, you okay?"

Minako turned to see Kevin, looking concerned. "No, I'm fine."

"Uh huh." Kevin reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. She stared at it stupidly. "For your eyes."

"Oh!" Minako grabbed it and dried her tears. "Sorry."

Kevin smiled and spoke gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She essayed a beautiful smile that faltered underneath his stare. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay. Then, will you permit me to accompany you to school?"

"Aren't you going the opposite direction?"

Kevin raised one eyebrow. "Yes, but that way I can't harass you into telling me."

Minako laughed. He was charming in his own way. "Fine, fine. I deign you worthy to escort me to class."

He chuckled and they set out together.

By chance, Makoto glanced down the way. A sly smile crossed her face and she poked Usagi in the ribs. "Hey, check this out."

Usagi's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Who's the guy?"

Ami turned her attention at the pair. "That would be Kevin."

"You know him?"

"I know of him."

Usagi's blue eyes opened wider. "Then tell!"

Ami half smiled. "Why?"

"Because! We have an opportunity here and I don't think we ought to waste it."

The blue haired senshi cocked her head slightly. "And what, pray tell, would that opportunity be?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you see it too. Minako is lonely, terribly so. I am not sure why or how it came about, but I know it. I can see it as well as you can."

Ami hid a grimace. Sometimes she forgot that Usagi was more perceptive than the odangoes suggested. The major problem with her friend's perceptions was the fact that she liked to meddle in things and not leave well enough alone. It was the other side to Usagi's persistently caring personality, something to be tolerated and even welcomed.

Just not now. Ami was a firm believer in letting her friends find their own ways, without intervention or assistance from others. If asked an opinion, she would offer it. But to intentionally perturb a system as complicated as romance only invited trouble.

"He's a nice enough guy. What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." Usagi's innocent smile was returned with a raised eyebrow.

Ami hazarded a guess. "The charity ball?"

Usagi shrugged. "What better place? A beautiful ballroom, Minako in her finest dress. They can dance the night away and fall in love by morning!"

"You know Minako is going to hate us if we do it. Especially if it does not work."

"And if they get together, she'll thank us even more!"

Ami looked longingly at Makoto for support. "Mako-chan..."

Makoto thought for a moment, before declaring. "I think they would be rather cute together."

Usagi grinned. "You're outnumbered, Mizuno. Give up while you can."

Ami sighed loudly and shook her head.

Minako asked idly. "Have you met any of my friends aside from Ami?"

"Not that I can recall, no."

"Oh, I'll have to introduce you!" Minako grabbed his arm and began to pull him towards the group of girls standing outside the entrance to the school.

"Minako-chan, I'm not sure -" Kevin protested weakly as he was dragged towards Juuban. Her small frame was stronger than he expected and he was eventually forced to fall into step with her.

She cut him off cleanly. "Come on. You're just as much my friend as they are. Besides, it's about time you got to know some other people in Tokyo."

Minako stepped neatly behind him and gave him a push, ejecting him into the middle of the group of girls. "Everybody, this is Kevin. Kevin, everybody."

Kevin smiled sheepishly. "Hi, folks."

A blond, odangoed girl took the lead, reaching out in a most American manner to grab his hand. "Usagi."

"Nice to meet you. Minako has told me so much about you. With many curious comments about your hair."

"Oh really?" Usagi shot an evil look at Minako who shrugged innocently and smiled. Usagi laughed easily. "Well, I get a lot of hassle for my hair. It works for me."

Kevin laughed. "Which is truly the most important of things."

Makoto took a long stride forward and reached out to grip his hand. Kevin almost winced at her vise-like grip, but covered it easily with a smile. She flashed a wide grin. "Mako-chan."

"Kevin. Nice to meet you too." Kevin nodded politely, before turning to Minako. "Well, I ought to head off to class. I'll see you later."

Usagi's eyes darted to Makoto's quickly. The quarry was getting away. Before she could even tie him down with another question or statement, he was already walking quickly away. Her mouth creased into a thin, determined smile.

She turned to Minako. "He's cute."

Minako half smiled at her. "I didn't used to think so. But he's got a real presence about him. Some grounded, earthy power I can't describe or understand."

Makoto replied with a low chuckle. "Oh you like him, don't you?"

The blond looked shocked as if it were heresy that such a suggestion could be made. "No way! He's my friend and a fun guy to be with."

Usagi shrugged as if she was about to drop the topic. "At any rate, we have more pressing concerns to attend to."

Minako stared at her friend quizzically. "Such as?"

"Shopping for this Saturday's ball?"

Minako slapped her forehead. "Darn, I forgot again! Artemis reminded me this morning too. I'm convinced I'm losing my mind."

Makoto affected a look of dismay. "Do you even have a date for Saturday?"

"No, no. Shoot. I think I'll just stay home."

Usagi smiled slyly and gestured in the direction where Kevin had retreated. "What about him?"

Minako's face immediately shifted from despair to genuine discomfort. "I dunno, guys. I think that would be a little too weird, even for me."

Mako gave her a motherly glance. "Come on, you're a liberated girl. No one is going to think worse of you because you asked your tutor to a dance. I mean, it's just a ball. It's not like you're expecting him to fall in love with you."

Usagi nodded quickly and gave a reassuring smile. "It's just a date, right?"

"Just a date." The other blonde shivered slightly and spoke softly. "Are you guys sure?"

"Positive."

Minako glanced down the street, then flashed each of them a dazzling grin. "Okay! I bet I can still catch him!"

And before they could answer, she scampered away after the departed American.

Makoto and Usagi subsided into a fit of giggles. "Score one for the good guys!"

Ami merely stared.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The suit was regal, black, and rather expensive. Tailored by a Saville Row-trained tailor in Hong Kong, it was a holdover from his days as a dot-com maven. Very early on in his business career, Kevin had realized that most Internet entrepreneurs had failed to understand one very key tenet of business: people like to buy from people who looked wealthy. It was an unfortunate human prejudice. If given a choice between buying from some one who looked like a hobo and someone who looked like they were from a prep school, the vast majority of consumers would buy from preppy, even if the hobo offered a superior product at a superior price. In the same way, Kevin saw that the majority of website businesses had computer science majors at the head of them, a breed who normally would not think twice about strolling into a sales event in a t-shirt and ripped jeans. Kevin had seen a competitive advantage to grab and had taken it

And so, on a family trip to Hong Kong, Kevin had plowed his first thousand dollars of earnings into buying the finest bespoke suit he could have made. The bespoke suit was something of a British tradition, dating far back in history, where tailors would cut and sew a specific suit for a specific individual. The tradition still lived on in a few areas of the former British empire, plied by high end tailors and cutters. Hong Kong, with its lively community of British expatriates, was a prime place to get them.

The result was a formal suit that would fit no one else in the world. The suit transformed him from a slightly pudgy teenager to a member of an Asian aristocracy, a person that exuded smooth competence and integrity. Moreover, it had paid off twenty times over, as Kevin could recall many times when he had stolen a client from another, more qualified candidate by virtue of his look.

He spared a glance at the window before letting his eyes flick back to the mirror. Even Kevin would admit that he looked rather sharp in it. It was a special suit for special occasions and, in its own way, imparted more formality than even a tuxedo could.

He reached for the burgundy tie on the table next to him, quickly and easily tying it into a knot around his neck.

The collar fit snugly, a bit too snugly in his opinion. The soldier despised his formal uniform, understanding it to be the product of some bureaucrat's warped idea of stylish dress. It was a mildly unflattering shade of speckled cream, better suited to a vase or throw rug than a uniform.

He tugged at the collar again, hoping to bruise it into a more comfortable shape with his fingers, finally giving up with an exasperated sigh and settling for staring at the ceiling. The room was richly furnished with antique tables, chairs, and knick-knacks of all sorts, the kind of curios one was supposed to look at but not touch. Murals and oil lamps decorated the walls . At the far end of the room, a pair of curving stairs descended from the upper stories, leading to parts unknown.

A strikingly beautiful woman trotted quickly down one of the stairways, favoring the soldier with an easy smile. "Retainer, you are early."

The young man nodded quickly. "Your Majesty requested that I arrive at a particular time. I have arrived at that time."

The woman chuckled tiredly. "My friend, I think you need to attend more balls while under my employ."

"And why is that, your Majesty?"

The woman moved smoothly over to a snuff box near the entryway and took a pinch before answering. "When you don't know the rules of being fashionably tardy, I detect certain problems with your social upbringing."

The man's eyebrows raised slightly at the subtle insult. "Your Majesty, I was informed that the post of your assistant required a more militarily than socially adept background. If that is not the case, I would be content to resign my position in favor of someone else."

Queen Serenity gracefully moved next to him. "I apologize, there was no insult intended. I already believe that you are invaluable to the well-being of our family. I only meant that a handsome young soldier like yourself ought to get out to parties a bit more."

She smiled slyly. " Besides, I've heard that you have some rather dedicated admirers in the court."

The soldier's face betrayed the hint of a smile. "Indeed, your Majesty? I have not taken notice. Perhaps your Majesty is imagining things."

The queen, her nose merrily red from the snuff dust, laughed aloud in a most un-royal manner. "I see I'm not going to get very much out of you tonight. I must send a servant to see if the girls are ready yet."

The soldier's voice betrayed a slight humor. "And what of being fashionably tardy?"

Serenity shook her head slowly, a wide smile on her face. "I don't even suspect that they are even close to ready. But it would be a novel idea to arrive to a party early rather than late."

Minako looked at herself in the mirror. The strapless dress was a pale, creamy orange, reaching down to the tips of her matching shoes. A simple red bow swept her hair from her face and she practiced an easy, friendly smile. That smile had seduced countless others of the opposite gender, and she knew its power better than anyone else. Males would do things for her that they would not for others, if only she would flash them a flirtatious smile. It was a power she used sparingly, but one she could not shy away from.

The smile faltered before the mirror, as apprehension began to take hold of her beautiful features. Doubt marred the image in the mirror and she looked away quickly to the clock on the wall. The seconds ticked away easily, until the clock chimed five times.

She really should not have been flustered, but was. Minako couldn't explain it. She had attended dances before, had gone on many dates, yet none had felt quite like this.

The doorbell interrupted her thoughts and she checked her makeup job again, grabbed her purse and ran to the door.

Her mother gave her a rare, complimentary smile. "Take care, dearest."

"I'll be back late, mom." Minako kissed her on the cheek before flinging open the door and scampering outside.

"Ready?" Kevin stood in the pathway to her house, with his back towards the setting sun. It cast the front of his figure in deep shadow, but Minako could make out the outline of Kevin's figure, his hands shoved into his pockets.

She reached forward and brushed a stray piece of lint off his shoulder. "Snazzy suit. Where did you get it?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Around. You're not looking bad yourself."

Minako aped his nonchalant gesture. "This old thing? It's just been lying around my closet for ages now."

Kevin rolled his eyes slightly, but offered his arm by way of apology. The limousine in the driveway was a matte black with tinted windows providing the only sheen on the car. He leaned over to open the door for her and she smiled at him before stepping inside.

The American smiled to himself and followed her.

The inside of the car was terribly noisy. Usagi had responded to the newcomer with squeals of glee, nearly spilling her drink on Minako's dress. "Yay!"

Minako twisted slightly, moving out of Usagi's range, but responded with a dazzling smile. "Well, I made it!"

Usagi grinned at Kevin. "And we have you to thank for it! I want to hug you too!"

Kevin shrugged. "She said she needed a date and I was free tonight."

"Aww!" Usagi tried to leap across the car to make good on her promise, but was restrained quickly by the dark haired man next to her.

Mamoru swept the glass away from her quickly and handed the bottle over to Kevin. "I apologize for that. While you were out getting Minako, she got into the wine."

Kevin chuckled and waved off the apology before examining the wine bottle. It was a rosè champagne from France, rather expensive from the looks of it. He winced to think what he was paying for this limousine ride, but shrugged it off with a smile. Kevin lifted the bottle slightly. "Care for a glass?"

Minako grinned. "Only if you have one with me."

"I think I can agree to that." Kevin popped the cork carefully, so not to have it bubble over. Then with the precision of a surgeon, he poured into the two proffered glasses. The wine was a very pale pink, with the distinct aroma of roses emanating from it.

The blonde handed one off to him and was about to take a sip before Kevin interrupted her. "We can't drink without a toast."

She cocked her head slightly. "A toast?"

"Yes, drinking should be a celebratory event. We need something to celebrate."

"How about being young, carefree and having the rest of our lives to look forward to?"

Kevin thought about that one for a moment then nodded his assent. "I think I can drink to that."

They clinked their glasses together and drank deeply. The flavor of raspberries was the first thing that touched his palate, complemented by the almost overpowering crispness of violets. Then, suddenly the taste mellowed out considerably, leaving a wonderful aftertaste of wild strawberries tickling his nose.

Minako drained her glass, then sneezed delicately before licking her lips. "Mmm, that was delicious!"

Kevin nodded. "It was quite good."

She giggled happily and leaned on his shoulder. Instinctively, his arm wrapped around her body, drawing her close. Minako sighed with contentment and closed her eyes.

Kevin turned his head to watch the scenery whizzing by the window, reflecting on how right everything felt.

It would not be a feeling that persisted.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The ride to the restaurant was an uneventfully slow one, with the cramped roads of the inner city providing no relief. For a city which prided itself on easily accessible and available mass transportation, Tokyo had a surprising amount of cars on the road.

Kevin hammered his fist on the window absentmindedly, before glancing at his watch. Minako had long since abandoned him to gossip with the other girls, who were now clustered at one end of the car. Their dates sat uncomfortably across from them, likely wondering what they were talking about.

The whole situation was reminiscent of a middle school dance where prepubescent teens would stare at each other moodily from across the room, struggling between hormones and lingering fears of cooties.

Kevin chuckled a bit at that thought, then contented himself with looking out the window again. They had finally managed to fight their way through traffic, and the restaurant was coming up quickly on the side. He popped his seat belt and stepped out as soon as the limo stopped.

He milled around the door for a bit until Minako appeared. Kevin extended his hand to help her out, to which she responded with a sprightly smile.

The evening air sent a quick chill through his flesh; he hugged his jacket around him a little bit more. But, gentleman that he was, he immediately shrugged it off and swept it over Minako's shoulders without further thought.

It looked fairly ridiculous on her as though it were a tent rather than an article of clothing. But, she smiled all the same, this time grabbing Kevin's hand and giving it a thankful squeeze.

Kevin squeezed back, wondering what other pleasures the evening might bring.

--------------------

Famous for its faithful reproduction of French cuisine, Le Gourmet D'Argent was typical of the new wave of Tokyo restaurants providing expensive international fare. The chef and sous-chefs who manned the kitchen were top graduates of the finest culinary academies in France. The décor was curiously chosen and moodily lit, with dozens of tables scattered around the room. Partitions made each space into a miniature private dining area, complete with candles at the table. All in all, a place created with the specific purpose of romance in mind.

The choice of the restaurant hadn't been Minako's, but Usagi's, who had insisted that they sit separately couple by couple. Minako assumed that it was so she could get more time with her Mamo-chan, a thought that she sympathized with but didn't understand. If they weren't going to hang out together, there wasn't much of a point getting a limo together.

Kevin's hand closed around her waist, and he spoke very softly. "Our table is ready."

"'Kay." She assumed a stately posture and followed the waiter, who silently awaited to guide them to their seats.

He rolled his eyes slightly and followed dutifully.

The starchy waiter led them to a dark niche along the side. Minako thought she could detect a hint of surprise and vague discomfort in Kevin's eyes, evidence that he hadn't really expected the restaurant to be like this either. That in itself was curious. She filed away that information for later.

--------------------

The soldier blinked with surprise, then coughed into his hand. He gazed at the liveried servant. "I did not arrange for this."

"Yes, sir. Her Majesty requested that you be seated at her private dining table."

"I see." The soldier winced slightly. "May I ask who my tablemates will be?"

"Her Majesty stated specifically that you would be seated next to Lady Windsor of Mars and her father, Lord Windsor."

The soldier rubbed his forehead. So, that was what the queen had been grinning about during the carriage ride down.

It was a ploy that had been tried before. In her more honest moments, Serenity had stated that she thought himself and Lady Windsor would make a perfect match. According to her Majesty, they shared the same interests, were of the correct age, and would make very beautiful babies.

The soldier grimaced again. The fact that she was right in every respect annoyed him greatly. Until now, Serenity had not been actively interventionist in his personal affairs, giving him a modicum of control over his situation. She had hinted, had cajoled, had begged him to consider this girl or that. It had been all too easy to reply that his duties prevented him from pursuing a liaison or relationship of any sort.

That she was now willing to go over his head set a somewhat difficult precedent for the future.

The Retainer steeled the icy cold that gripped his gut. "Please send my regards to Her Majesty, but relay to her my message that I will be seeking alternative seating arrangements tonight."

The servant replied with a bland smile. "Her Majesty anticipated that you might say that and has instructed me to reply that the seating chart is compulsory. She will not entertain any alternatives."

"Then tell Her Majesty that I will not be attending dinner this evening."

"Attendance is also compulsory."

The soldier fumed and turned around to stomp away, when a soft hand landed on his shoulder.

"Sir Retainer, where are you off to such a huff?"

He turned to see the kind and concerned face of Princess Venus grinning at him. "Nothing, Princess. Just a few inconveniences with my seating arrangements for dinner this evening."

"Ah." The princess glanced at the seating chart laid out by the servant then smiled slightly. "There seems to have been a mistake."

"Oh?" The servant stiffened quickly. "Where is that, milady?"

"The Retainer of Serenity's family will not be seated at the Queen's table this evening. He will be seated at my table, next to me."

The servant paled considerably. "But I received orders from Her Majesty specifically regarding this situation--"

Lady Venus smiled kindly, but spoke with an undeniable steel beneath her voice. "Her Majesty has informed me otherwise. Will it be necessary for us to take this up with Queen Serenity personally?"

"No, milady. I'll fix this error immediately!" The man fled in terror, leaving the pair alone where they stood.

"My gravest and most sincere thanks, Princess." The soldier sighed in relief. "You have my eternal gratitude."

"It is a favor that will be paid back in good time, Sir Retainer. You once stated that you had no intention of getting married. I only sought to help you continue that situation."

The soldier chuckled. "It is no great secret that I have no great desire to marry. I feel that it would interfere with my duties to Her Majesty and this kingdom."

"It is an admirable attitude." Lady Venus's voice turned jesting. "Certainly you have considered marriage? I feel like it is something that you will not be able to avoid."

The Retainer smiled, this time genuinely and not painfully. "If I find the right girl, then I suppose it will make it easier to justify."

The princess threaded her arm through his. "Any likely candidates?"

"Perhaps one or two." The soldier allowed with a tiny chuckle and a twinkle of the eye. "But it's not a particularly immediate concern."

Venus squeezed his arm and laughed. "You are a most mysterious fellow, I'll give you that. But let's go get a drink. Perhaps a glass or two of wine will loosen that padlocked tongue."

--------------------

Minako's eyes flicked across the table to her date, who was poking suspiciously at the piece of meat advertised as swordfish. Kevin prodded the whitish meat, as if he expected it to move, then gingerly speared a piece and brought it to his mouth before downing it with a final gulp.

The expression on his face was priceless. Minako chuckled quietly and stared down at her pasta. Kevin shot her an accusatory glance and she subsided into a fit of giggles, momentarily breaking the uncomfortable silence that had reigned over the table for most of the evening.

Unlike in their normal interactions, Kevin was terribly uneasy, barely able to respond with more than a terse word or two. Not that she was helping the situation. Normally able to babble on about any topic under the sun, Minako herself was oddly tongue tied. It didn't seem right to talk about school or work or anything vaguely productive like that.

She inhaled, then let her breath come out in a hurried puff. "So tell me about yourself!"

He shot her a somewhat confused glance, but managed to cover that lapse up quickly. "What, are we on a date or something?"

Minako reached across the table and punched him lightly on the arm. "Come on!"

"What is there to tell?"

She coughed delicately into her hand. "Well, I feel like I hardly know anything about you. I mean, I've told you my entire life story several times, I feel like you ought to return the favor."

Kevin chuckled slowly, then deliberately placed his fork aside. "What can I say that won't bore you? I'm just an American college student studying abroad."

"Fine, make it difficult. I'll ask you the questions. Where are you from originally?"

"Boston, Massachusetts. I've lived there my entire life."

"And how is Boston?"

"Smaller and colder than here." Kevin said with the trace of a smile. "It's a strange city, one of the very oldest in America. Nothing compared to anywhere in Japan, mind you...but it's got a sense of where it has come from and where it's going."

Minako coughed again, louder this time. "And here I was under the impression that you Americans were just the new kids on the block."

"Oh. we are. We just pretend that we aren't."

"Hmm." She mulled over that again before clearing her throat. "So, what do the parents of my favorite American do?"

"Ooh, personal questions now?"

"The best sort."

"What about my reputation as mysterious foreigner who all the ladies would like to know?"

Minako placed a hand on her heart. "On my honor, I won't tell a soul."

Kevin languidly reached out to take a sip of water and grinned. "I guess being secretive wasn't in my nature anyway. My dad is a businessman. He is the vice president of engineering at a medical device manufacturer--"

Minako suddenly broke out into a fit of uncontrolled coughing, doubling over the table in pain. Her throat felt like it was seizing up and she could barely breathe. She could feel Kevin's concerned hand on her shoulder, then felt him help her up and usher her quickly out of the restaurant.

--------------------

She tested the air gingerly, taking in short breaths before allowing herself the luxury of fully inhaling the sweet outside air. Again, Minako was wrapped in Kevin's coat which billowed about her like a great balloon.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Minako brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I don't know what caused that."

Kevin's reassuring smile turned darker for a moment. "The couple next to us had been chain smoking cigarettes since they sat down."

Minako coughed lightly. "Strange. I've never had quite that violent a reaction to cigarette smoke."

"Bad luck, I guess."

She smiled at him, before letting a frown mar her features. "We ran out of there without paying. Did they--"

The American half smiled. "I gave them my credit card before we sat down. It's all taken care of. Before we leave, I'll go in and settle everything."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Minako nodded, then let the conversation trail off in silence before speaking again. "It hasn't been the most idyllic of dates, has it?"

Kevin smiled slyly. "Better than some I've been on, I can tell you that much."

She laughed loudly, attracting the stares of passersby, before clamping her hands over her mouth. "You're terrible!"

He winked at her. "Besides, the way that I see it, this is a pretty unfortunate set of coincidences. It can only get better from here on out."


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The most important, and possibly most profitable, part of any dance is the photos. No self-respecting prom or ball can do without the ubiquitous, smiling photographer standing in the corner to take pictures of teenagers and their dates in their party finery.

Party pictures are a call back to a well dressed period of innocence and fun, recalling the formal moments rather than the ones drenched in the sweat of the party grind. They are especially popular with parents and friends, as a means to vicariously relive their youth through them. In a sense, everyone wants to remember themselves as the person in the tuxedo or dress, as the prince or princess that the picture suggests. Long after the events, emotions, and declarations of love of the evening are lost to memory, photos persist, warping the remembrances of all those who hold them dear.

As such, the line to the photographer was out the door. The black-haired girl in front of Kevin chuckled dryly then whispered into the ear of her date. The guy shook his head, his long hair swaying back and forth in the dim light. "I'm guessing at least an hour in line...maybe more."

Kevin squeezed his eyes shut in unmistakable annoyance before gazing silently at the ceiling, wondering why he had ever agreed to come on this date.

--------------------

Ami stood back from the two, watching them from several steps behind. She winced as Kevin took to staring at the ceiling rather than conversing with Minako. Minako, for her part, seemed to be more interested in her mirror than anything else.

For some reason, that easy chemistry which they had exhibited so effortlessly before had somehow vanished, replaced by an awkward and uncomfortable dynamic.

"Ami-chan?" The voice of her date, Ryo Urawa, came easily to her ear. A concerned hand touched her back.

"Hmm?"

A slight wryness filled his voice. "I sensed some anxiety from you. Might I be of some small assistance?"

Ami reached back to hold his hand tightly in hers. "Nothing of importance, Ryo."

The brown haired boy's eyes flicked to the couple which she had been staring at. "It's those two, isn't it?"

The girl chuckled softly. "I keep on forgetting that inconvenient habit you have of seeing what I'm thinking. Have you been taking mind reading lessons?"

A short laugh. "It is difficult to avoid hearing when someone is shouting right next to you. But since I have already heard, would you care to share?"

Ami nodded towards Kevin and Minako. "It's those two."

"I think that they're a pretty cute couple. What seems to be the matter?"

She shrugged. "They were set up by Usagi. She rushed it a bit too much. They aren't even more than friends right now."

Ryo shrugged. "She wanted the best for them. I can't blame her for that."

"But I can blame her for rushing the first normal friendship Minako has ever had. I just don't see this working out well." Ami looked surprised for a moment then turned to him. "You can see the future. What's going to happen with them?"

He looked vaguely annoyed. "I can't really turn it on and off you know."

"Can you try?" Ami smiled winningly. "Pretty please?"

"Look it's not quite that simple. It's not like flipping a light switch. The visions...they come without my intervention or desires..." His voice trailed off slowly. Ryo's face took on an unnatural calm and for five eternal seconds nothing happened. Suddenly, his eyes bugged out and he expelled the breath trapped in his lungs in a sudden whoosh.

Concerned. "What? What did you see?"

He winced. "Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"

Ami rarely swore, but this time, the situation begged it. "Shimatta."

--------------------

The lights made him sweat. Kevin tugged at his collar uncomfortably, then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his forehead. The photographer who had placed them there was nowhere to be seen.

Minako basked in the warmth. "Mmmm, now this I like."

Kevin groused irritably. "Yeah, yeah. I'm so happy for you."

She turned to him and straightened his tie before adjusting the silk square in his breast pocket. "But you look so dashing!"

"Right, yet somehow I feel very far from it." Kevin wiped his forehead and neck again, then tucked it into his pocket.

"So suave. You're causing me to tremble all over." Minako settled comfortably in his arms.

Kevin affected a charming smile and said through clenched teeth. "Now you're just making fun of me."

"As always, you are the perceptive one."

The photographer snapped a picture of the two, before inspecting it digitally, then waving them off in favor of the next couple. A Sinatra tune came from the live band playing in the ballroom, bringing a smile to his face.

Kevin extended his hand to Minako, accompanied by a shy smile. "Care to dance?"

--------------------

The St. Simon Charity Ball was a time-honored event held by a local hospital to benefit their Children's Heart Institute. As such, it was a tremendously admirable occasion, where the collective philanthropy of a community was able to creating an outpouring of generosity large enough to fund the expensive treatments for congenital heart defects.

It was also the defining formal event of the year, classy enough for parents not to worry about their kids attending, fun enough for the kids to actually want to go. It was better than most school dances, which could command neither the attendance, nor the classiness necessary for such an event.

The ball itself was held in one of the larger convention centers of Tokyo, decked out with a formal ballroom. The décor of the room itself harked back to 18th century France, an opulent Rococo style with intricate gold leaf ornamentation trailing up ivory colored walls. Sides of the room melded into the great domed ceiling from which suspended a three tiered chandelier that reflected the lights of the room in brilliant confections of violets, reds, and golds.

As the band finished their piece, the couples underneath the sparkling lights stopped dancing to applaud. The lead singer bowed gracefully then motioned for the bandleader to come up and say a few words.

Minako beamed at Kevin, then slipped her arm through his. It was a beautiful ballroom, as stately as she could have dreamed. The music was a little raucous for her, as she would have preferred a waltz or something suitably more elegant, but she took that in stride. The waltz was a bit too romantic, given the circumstances, and she didn't really trust herself to act responsibly.

Her smile sagged a bit. It was still there, that tiny knot of lost pain wrapped about her heart. Minako had once convinced herself that she had forgotten him, that those memories had no power over her any longer. But they persisted in a most inconvenient manner, no matter how she deluded herself.

Kevin's fingers slipped through hers and squeezed reassuringly. She smiled up in uncomfortable thanks, and they walked towards their waiting group of friends.

--------------------

Usagi tittered with excitement. "Holding hands. See!"

Rei chuckled dryly. "Is this the project that she's been all excited about lately? I thought it was something school related. My mistake."

Makoto punched her lightly in the ribs. "Be nice. Usagi has worked very hard to get those two together. Besides, you should know all about the troubles that Minako has had with boyfriends."

"All the troubles she's had? What about all the ones I've had? You didn't set me up with someone, and I was forced to go with this idiot!"

The long-haired singer, Yuuichirou, grabbed his heart in mock agony. "You wound me, Rei-chan. Your dagger hath stabbed me deep in the heart, wounding me fatally. I shed this mortal coil for a better existence. Remember me when I am gone..."

Rei pushed him back on the shoulder. "Oh, bite me."

With smooth and almost naïve earnestness. "Where?"

The priestess's mouth dropped open slightly, unable to form coherent words for a full minute. Her date simply beamed.

Kevin and Minako finally came close enough to exchange pleasantries and minor introductions.

Suddenly, the band struck up a fast tune, beckoning all around to come and dance again. The pair looked at each other quickly, before heading out to the floor without a word.

Usagi and Makoto exchanged a significant look before badgering their dates into dancing as well.

--------------------

There was an artless grace to her movements, something akin to a drunk ballerina as she wove unsteadily on the dance floor to the beat of the music. She drew closer into her date's embrace, then suddenly withdrew, betraying neither rhyme nor reason with her haphazard movements.

Kevin mused silently about that as he struggled simply to keep up with her. It was clear that neither her mind nor her body was truly into the dance, that she was simply going through the motions. Her behavior, her very essence, was just so different than when he interacted with her from day to day. It was very curious.

He supposed that she could just be feeling a general malaise. Tired all of a sudden, whether from the hectic moments of picture taking or long hours of sitting in the limousine. Or maybe she didn't really want to dance all that much.

Kevin gave that explanation no more credence than he did the flat earth theory. From what he understood of Minako, she was an extrovert in the broadest sense of the term. She loved big events, large groups of people. She thrived in such environments, playing off the preconceptions of prejudices of the crowd to her tremendous advantage. He was convinced that she drew her energy from them. Which made her actions strange to say the least.

Curious indeed.

--------------------

"Let's dance!"

The soldier raised an eyebrow with studious ease. "I'm not sure that would be such a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well, Her Majesty looks angry enough to destroy me with her thoughts. I think it might not be intelligent for me to move out to a place where she can make good on those glares."

Venus laughed cheerfully. "Not if you're dancing with me, she won't. Can't risk the collateral damage."

"Thank you, milady, but no thank you."

She languidly tapped her fingers on the table. "I can order you to dance with me, you know."

"And I, in retaliation, can drag my feet and pout."

The princess grabbed his hand underneath the table and squeezed. "Come on, none of the others will dance with me."

"And why do you think that is, princess?"

"Oh, be quiet!"

The soldier allowed himself a modest grin before standing up to brush some stray crumbs from his uniform. "As you wish, princess. But perhaps we can carry on this edict of silence on the dance floor instead?"

Venus grinned and allowed herself to be drawn from her seat and led into the fray of couples at the center of the room.

--------------------

In the most unfortunate of coincidences, the next song in the set was a sultry love song in the vein of Sinatra or Martin.

Without a word, Minako grabbed Kevin's hands, wrapping them about her waist. She lifted her hands to his shoulders, then finally condescended to look into his eyes.

She was taken aback by the coldness in them. There was an analytical beast in those eyes; a carefully contemplative and shockingly calculating mind churning away at problems unseen. For the first time since she had known him, Minako was frightened. Any person who could so easily subordinate emotion and sentiment to rational thought was someone to be wary of.

Then suddenly, as if he had just noticed she was looking at him, Kevin's eyes began to take on the warmth and concern that she had always known.

He spoke softly. "Is something the matter?"

Minako was surprised by the question. "No, nothing. Just a little shaken, is all."

"I see." His tone indicated that he wasn't convinced.

"Look, just forget it." There was a distinct edge to her voice, a clear sign that her claws were unsheathed and that she wouldn't hesitate to verbally rend him limb from limb if it came to it.

Kevin wasn't even fazed. "As you wish."

"Just hold me, okay?"

He obliged her that, and they endured an uncomfortable silence for a couple of moments, each unwilling to break the tension that had fallen over their conversation. It was three terribly long minutes before Kevin spoke.

"I hear the gardens are quite pretty at night. Would you care to see them?"

With evident relief, she nodded and smiled.

--------------------

True to Kevin's promise, the gardens were quite pretty in the evening. The flowers were very nice: yellows poppies, pale violet orchids, and blood red rhododendrons organized into long, curving flower beds about a crystal clear reflecting pool. The paths themselves wandered uncertainly through the flora, only to end abruptly in private niches, surrounded by high, sculpted hedges.

Yet, the darkness lent a palpable menace to the place. Something seemed amiss at night. The vibrant colors of the flowers were muted in the half light, enlivened only by the occasional sparkle from the ballroom behind them.

It would have all been quite frightening had Kevin not heard the sounds of other couples discovering the pleasures of the garden before them.

Given different circumstances, he might have even thought it amusing.

They were still holding hands, but stood as far away from each other as they could, neither one willing to break the uncomfortable silence between them. Kevin half smiled in the dim light.

"Minako-chan, I have a question."

--------------------

She froze for a moment, before choking down the bile that had suddenly found itself in her throat. Minako let go of Kevin's hand and hugged herself quickly. "Go ahead."

He scratched his head and paused for a moment. "I don't know if there's any easy way to say this."

Minako felt her breath catch in her throat. She felt a deep dread welling up inside of her, something that she could neither quantify nor explain.

The evening had been roundly terrible, with every chance they had at a decent, enlightening conversation defeated by uncomfortable silence. She hated that feeling, the expectation that something had to happen.

And now, he was going to proclaim his love for her. And she was afraid that she might accept it.

"Are we supposed to be falling in love?"

Minako, surprised by the question, stole a glance at Kevin through the darkness. An impish grin tugged at the edge of his lips. And in an instant, all the tension left her.

She sighed with relief. "You've felt it too, huh?"

Kevin chuckled quietly and said in a low voice. "What I've felt is this expectation, never mind where it came from, for us to fall in love. For me to sweep you off your feet in some grand pointlessly romantic gesture."

Minako laughed loudly, then clapped her hands over her mouth in chagrin. She flushed with embarrassment, then hugged him tightly. "This all does seem pretty contrived, doesn't it? I've been standing here for the past five minutes, dreading what you were going to say."

"Cookie cutter romances are better left for the story books. They seem to be so much messier in real life."

"I suppose I should say that Usagi had a pretty big hand in this. She was the one pressuring me to ask you out."

He replied in his usual, dour tone. "Figures. She seemed like the type to have a romantic heart."

She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm so glad that this didn't work out. I'm not ready for any relationship. All I've wanted is a friend."

Kevin laughed. "In that respect, we are in complete agreement, my friend."


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

A few wispy cirrus clouds skirted across the sky, as if fleeing from the long beams of the moon. Oddly enough, the winds in the upper atmosphere hadn't descended to the ground, and for that small favor, he was very grateful.

Kevin, in the guise of a Silver Millenium Retainer, watched over the city with a casual grace that he could never have matched as a mere human. In more honest moments, he would still confess a certain discomfort with his powers and abilities. But it was something that he was quickly getting used to and he was glad to say that he no longer feared his power.

He had still not faced any of the enemies which Artemis spoke of so many times, but as time passed, Kevin felt increasingly ready to face whatever perils he needed to. Until then, he would continue to test his skill against the usual run of pickpockets and would-be muggers on the streets of Tokyo. He had even managed to get a blurry picture of himself taken by the Mainichi Daily News with a small feature piece on the appearance of another masked man on the Tokyo skyline. Two separate camps had sprung up around his activities: one proclaiming that he was simply another incarnation of an older, but still popular hero named Tuxedo Kamen and the other contending that he was somebody else entirely, perhaps a consort of one of the Sailor Senshi.

That thought made him smile as few things in his current state of affairs did. Kevin glanced down at the city for another moment. He did not consider Tokyo his home, yet the city had already adopted him as a consummately Japanese hero that embodied the ideals of honor, duty, and civic virtue.

The irony of that thought made him smile and chuckle to himself. He wrapped his coat tightly around him just as an icy gale blasted his exposed figure. The wind died down after a moment, and he let his cape flutter free again.

As he did so, he let himself sink into a meditative trance, perfectly balanced on his perch at the edge of the building. Artemis had taught him that meditation was a powerful state, a way to contact higher realms and seek greater wisdom. In battle, it was a way to intuit enemy actions, detect stratagems, and coordinate troops maneuvers.

Kevin stretched his mind into the city around him, taking in tremendous information around him like a great sponge. As he navigated the murky waters of the psychic plane, he felt the irresistible swirl of thoughts and emotions around him. Had he chosen to, he could have singled out an individual to experience. But Kevin instead sought to test the greater psychic waters, tapping into the underlying feelings of the city below him. He felt pain, pleasure, hope, and fear with a striking undercurrent of cynicism laced through it.

And even as mesmerizing as it was, he still felt the approach of another. With mute interest, he reached out to touch it.

--------------------

It never failed. They were always at the top of a skyscraper. Minako looked around apprehensively before raising her henshin wand into the air.

The last time she'd scaled a building looking for her target, she'd been careless and accidentally transformed in front of a drunk hiding in an alleyway. When he had seen her, he'd sat up suddenly, banging his head against a low hanging fire ladder and knocking himself out. She supposed his surprise was because she had suddenly transformed into the easily recognizable and photogenic Sailor Venus. It was certainly better than the alternative explanation: that he had reacted so because he had seen her naked.

Venus hefted her chain, twirling it about with an easy hand. It was old hat to her now as she tossed the chain up, scaling the side of the building like some four legged spider.

It was a full fifteen minutes before she reached the top, pausing only a few times to enjoy the view. It was a surprisingly clear night, and she could just make out the ghostly outline of the Tokyo Tower rising in the distance. She managed a cool little smile.

For all its faults of prowling youma and various supernatural events, Tokyo was her city, a place where she could live her entire life happily. As such, it was her duty to defend it to the death.

Which brought her focus back to the task at hand. She pressed herself against a wall, knowing that her prey was less than twenty meters away. Venus spared a glance around the corner, then began her stalk. In time with the traffic on the streets below, she masked her approach, taking a few quiet bounds each time to position herself under maximum cover. She was a handful of steps away when her right foot slipped on a stray piece of gravel, and she fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

Time froze for an instant as she sought some means with which to stop him, ranging from trying to lasso him with her chain again to trying to stun him with a Crescent Beam.

But it was too late. The man reacted on instinct, instantly leaving his perch and running across the rooftop to hurl himself off of the side towards a nearby office building.

--------------------

Kevin smashed through an exposed window and hit the ground in a position that would have snapped a normal human collarbone. He had miscalculated the jump badly and had missed the roof, crashing into the offices two floors below, rolling to absorb the impact.

He felt a sharp pain pulsing through his shoulders but forced it from his mind as he navigated the dark maze of desks and cubicles. Kevin knocked over a stack of papers, winced, and moved on. He deplored the damage he was causing but felt that he had to flee.

As dedicated a pursuer as the world had ever known was pursuing him to unmask him and reveal his secrets to the world. Artemis had warned him of her, saying that Sailor Venus was a loose cannon who tended to take matters into her own hands...often to the detriment of those around her. It was not that she had bad intentions, but she was simply a bit too chaotic for others to deal with. He was to consider her an ally, but a distant one.

The wind whistled through the shattered window behind him, blowing hundreds of pieces of paper into the air. Kevin bent on one knee, glancing around to find an exit. A loud thump reverberated through the room. He glanced back at the open window, now partly obscured by the fluttering papers. A thin figure stood there, silhouetted by the moonlight, warily looking around

Kevin let his breath out in a quiet huff, wondering what to do. As he did so, she immediately fixed her gaze on him. For an eternal moment, they locked eyes, and for just a second, he felt that they understood each other. More rational processes immediately began to take over, and he charged for the window behind him. Property damage be damned, he would not be trapped there.

"Wait! Please!"

And as if a cord had suddenly pulled taut around his waist, he stopped his pell mell charge. He could only make out the sound of his own ragged breathing.

--------------------

Minako repeated, more softly this time. "Wait. If only to catch your breath."

Of all her options, she had chosen the most improbable, for reasons she could not explain. In that hurried glance, she had sensed something within her prey, something vulnerable...frightened...and undeniably human.

The man straightened slowly as if in intense pain. "Thank you."

Venus smiled generously and laughed quietly. "Not at all. You were limping a bit. I thought it might help."

The man turned his head slightly, and she could again catch a glimpse of his features in the darkness. "I did take a pretty nasty spill coming into the building. I'm surprised you're able to see so well in the dark."

She shrugged in her typical, carefree manner. "You pick up some things after a couple years." An awkward silence filled the air between them before Venus cracked a silly smile. "I didn't think I was so hideous that you'd run away from me."

The man tilted his head back and laughed. It was a genuine sound, free of the pain she had felt in so many strains in his voice before. Wise was the one who had first understood that laughter was the best medicine. Her opposite's laughter defied the impasse that had been forced on them and foundered any attempts at tension and unease.

She joined him in a few wry chuckles. "So, if it's not too much of a burden, may I see your face, finally?"

The man laughed. "I assure you, I am quite unremarkable."

"Still, I'd like to get a better look at the man I'm chasing. I imagine you'd like to get a better look at me as well."

In a neutral tone. "The thought had crossed my mind. But anonymity tends to favor the pursued more than the pursuer."

"Then consider it a favor to me."

He chuckled darkly. "You say it as though you already know me."

Quietly. "You already know me. It would be rude not to return the familiarity."

"True enough, Princess Venus. True enough." He sighed in resignation and turned around slowly. "As a favor to you, then."

There was an air of nobility to his bearing, an almost puritanical rigidity to his stance that spoke of virtue and morality. His face was a handsome one, though not in the delicate, bishonen way she was usually attracted to. Far from the aristocratic look his uniform implied, his features hinted at a more common background. She would hesitate to call him rugged, but they were strong features, the look of a man hardened by stress. But even put on the defensive, he cut an impressively assertive figure, looking as if he was ready for a fight.

Idly, Venus wondered if he was available, then almost laughed at the absurdity of that thought.

"You look amused." The man observed with the faintest hint of a smile. "Do I amuse you?"

Apparently, rather perceptive too. "Not you, the situation. Well, actually you and the situation we've both found ourselves in."

"Ah." The man chuckled. "We are at something of an impasse, aren't we." It was pointedly not a question.

"Hmm." Venus let the sentence trail off into silence and studied her opponent for a long moment before replying. "It seems you have two options."

"And those are?"

"You can continue to run. It would be leaving our fate in the hands of chance. I might catch you; I might not. If I did catch you, I imagine we'd have this conversation again, although probably from a slightly more dominating position from my standpoint."

"Assuming you catch me of course."

"Your teleportation ability might make things difficult, but I have ways to get around that."

In a dry tone. "I'm sure you do. You'll forgive me if I make that as difficult as possible for you. What is the second option?"

"The second option might be even less attractive from your standpoint." Venus cleared her throat. "I just want to talk. To understand where you've come from, and why you are here."

The man shook his head. "I am not sure of the answers to those questions myself. I do not know if I will be much help with what you want to know."

She smiled warmly. "I am unsure of what I want to know as well. I guess we'll just have to see where this relationship goes. Assuming you agree."

The man appeared to ponder it for a moment, then spared a glance at the window behind him. She unlatched her chain from around her waist, ready to lasso him if he made a break for it. A terse quiet fell over the two as he gazed back at her, understanding what she would do if he tried to run.

A weary grin. "I don't suppose you'd be trying to influence my decision."

"A backup plan in case we had a difference in opinion over your course of action."

"Fair enough, fair enough." In a surprisingly formal voice. "I should like to talk to you some time, Princess Venus."

She loosened the grip on her chain. "I should like to talk to you as well."

The man opened his arms wide, in a gesture of submission, and, as if on cue, the burglary alarms above them began to blare mercilessly. His face twisted into a dour expression. "I guess we won't be able to continue this conversation."

"Yeah. I'd prefer privacy, myself."

He half bowed. "In that case, I bid you a good evening, Sailor Venus. I shall see you at some time or another."

"Indeed." Then, suddenly. "Wait!"

The man looked at her with faint curiosity, and she blurted out. "I don't know your name, yet you seem to know mine. So, if you could--"

"Return the favor?" A genuine smile cross his face. "Another thing which eludes me at this point. I don't know my own name."

Her expression conveyed that she didn't quite believe him. "Then what should I call you?"

He hesitated a moment, then said softly, almost beneath the din of the alarms. "You may call me Retainer."

And just like that, he was gone.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Artemis stalked his prey with the intensity and monomaniacal tendencies of a chess master at the board. He examined every avenue of approach, using his sharp eyes to analyze routes of approach. Yes, that would be excellent.

He crept from the dining room to the kitchen, darting quickly to the cover of the island in the middle. His padded feet made nary a sound on the waxed walnut floors, but, in his haste, he nearly lost control and almost careened into a cabinet. He flattened himself on the ground, listening for any signs that he had been spotted, then poked his head around the corner to catch another look.

The cat let out a quick sigh of relief. His prey hadn't moved, and just as well. Although beginning to get on in years, Artemis was an accomplished hunter, masterful in the approach and still quick on the pounce. His reflexes were not as fast as they used to be, but his experience in surprising the enemy almost always carried the day.

Artemis started the final leg of his stalk, slowing his pace, placing each paw deliberately in front of the other, feeling the ground before committing his weight. He began his climb up the sofa, positioning himself precariously on top before pouncing down on the yarn with all his might.

In an instant, he knew that he had over compensated. As he sank his claws into his foe, the cat went tumbling head over heels, his momentum carrying him. The yarn got the better of him for a moment, but Artemis committed to his attack, savagely tearing at it with his claws and teeth.

The ball came apart quickly enough, rolling around his feet in great clumps. Only a bit of yarn fluff ended up on the floor, but as the struggle ended, it was clear who was the victor. Artemis mewed ferociously over his vanquished foe, then stalked way to clean himself off.

His triumphant strut across the room hid a great deal from any who might have been watching. The cat's thoughts drifted back to the day he had seen Kevin and the opportunities that he offered. The boy was powerful and malleable, the perfect weapon for Artemis to hone to readiness. For the enemies he was sure were coming, the cat wanted someone who he could simply point in the right direction and unleash. A destroyer of sorts under his personal command.

But as Murphy and Von Moltke dictated, few things worked out as they had planned. Even when bombarded by Silver Millenium lore and memories of obligation and duty, Kevin still retained that annoyingly American trait of bull-headed independence. Not for the first time that day, Artemis cursed all Americans and whoever had decided to mint them out as stubborn, free natured, and determined to carve their own way.

And even as he had seen success in his efforts to break Kevin, his other charge had seen fit to fight her way into the picture. He could not hate Minako, even as she had foiled his plans, but he could despise her efforts to go over his head and figure out who Retainer was. He had witnessed her nighttime forays, her searches for the mysterious masked man.

It was a sign of ill portent. He had deliberately separated Kevin from the senshi to prevent their views from infecting his. The Retainer had to stay vigilant, and Artemis feared that Venus's influence would dull the edge which he had spent so much time refining.

That they had met and seen each other face to face was bad enough. That Sailor Venus had convinced him to stop running and talk was the worst thing he could have imagined happening. Minako had been so happy afterwards, and he had forced himself to be cheerful along with her. But few things could hide the deep dread which he faced each coming day.

He needed a warrior to prepare for the invasion, to carry the fight on by himself, to die if necessary in order to buy the senshi time to regroup and fight off the successively heavier waves of enemies to come.

Artemis supposed that it was a bit heartless for him to think of Kevin that way. He rather liked the kid. Other than his tendency to question everything around him, Kevin was a good listener, a decent pupil, and intelligent to boot. But, Artemis reflected with a grim smile, he couldn't let sentiment cloud his decisions like that. Not when the fate of the world was on the line.

Situations like the one he was contemplating required immediate and drastic actions to correct them. He needed something to distract the both of them. If they were going to be talking, he wanted them to be talking about something besides who the Retainer was and other senshi business. But what would they talk about?

'Personal issues, perhaps?'

For the first time that day, the cat felt a genuine smile. And the pieces of a solution began to fall into place.

--------------------

Minako rubbed her bare arms to impart some warmth into them. The choice of a tank top, even underneath a fall coat, hadn't been the most enlightened one to make. That the restaurant hadn't felt the need to turn up the heat even at the onset of winter did not help matters.

She checked her watch and wondered where Ami was. It was unlike her to be even a little bit late. That sort of behavior was more Usagi's thing than her more intellectual friend's. In fact, Minako could barely recall a time when Ami had actually been late for anything . Come wind, rain, tidal wave, whatever, Minako could always count on Ami to be there first, primly reading a book while waiting for her less schedule-bound friends.

The tardiness was distressing enough that Minako looked around, wondering if she was in the right restaurant. Her fears were allayed a few awkward moments later when Ami rushed in. Her cheeks were red from the cold and she was breathing heavily.

"Minako-chan, I'm so sorry for being late! I got very preoccupied at class and didn't notice the time."

"I should dock your report card for your tardiness." Minako spoke sternly, but softened the words with a smile. "What kept you?"

"A conversation with our favorite American, of course." Ami betrayed a slight grin. "He's a rather interesting guy."

"That he is. I like him a bunch."

"Yeah..." Ami fiddled with her napkin a bit before placing it on her lap and taking a sip of water. "So, about the ball a couple nights ago--"

Minako spoke sharply, more sharply than she intended. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ami continued smoothly. "They're very sorry for interfering. Mako and Usagi didn't think you'd have such a terrible time with Bin-kun. You guys get along so well otherwise. I suppose they thought it would transfer over pretty easily."

The blonde fumed for a moment, then laughed tiredly. "I suppose it's partly my own fault. I try to set up my friends with guys, and I guess turnabout is fair play."

"They're your friends, Minako-chan, and they worry about you sometimes."

Minako pretended to be shocked. "Me? How could anyone be worried about me?"

Ami sighed. "You'd be surprised. I think they were excited that you had finally found a guy that you could be friends with for more than a week or two. Perhaps they saw something that wasn't there."

"Why worry about my romantic life? I've never had trouble with that."

"Attracting them is your area of expertise." The girl allowed herself a tiny smile. "But, I have yet to see one which you could connect to emotionally and intellectually. And so, when you met Kevin, we had the highest hopes for you." Ami hesitated. "Are you two doing okay?"

Minako smiled. "Well, I'm not mad at him! We're doing just fine. I think we're good enough friends to just laugh about it. We just kept on waiting for something to happen that night and he finally got the guts to ask if he was supposed to be doing something. "

Ami giggled softly "Oh dear, that sounds exactly like something he'd say."

The blond smiled. "Yeah. We spent most of the evening trying to act like dates, and when he made that crack, it made everything better."

"Good." Ami smiled and eyed her friend. "I'd hate to see a good friendship go to pieces over something your other friends did."

"It won't. He'll be around for the long run, I think."

"That's good." Ami took another sip of water and studied her friend carefully. She quickly came to a conclusion, but refrained from saying anything. Ami simply nodded then motioned to the waiter to take their orders.

After the orders had been taken, the blue-haired girl settled for silence. She felt no need to make conversation.

Minako twisted her napkin around in her hands, a sure sign that something was vexing her. Ami's cool eyes, ever analytical, met Minako's. In an instant, Ami conveyed that she knew that something was not quite right.

The blonde smiled charmingly, but the smile faltered underneath Ami's penetrating stare. Minako sighed and giggled nervously. "So, how long did I manage to fool you?"

"Well, you had until just now." Ami steepled her fingers and smiled. "You're a very convincing liar. And I'm just skeptical by nature." They both chuckled at that little fiction. "So, everything is not going well between you two?"

Minako waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing."

"But it is vexing you, yes?" Ami took another tiny sip of water. "And what are friends for but to deal with annoying little problems?"

"Ha ha." Minako shook her head. "Just a lot of little things that are bugging me. Stuff which I know shouldn't but does."

"Like what?"

The blonde fumed for a moment. "Like how he won't even acknowledge that there's a problem between us. For example, he called last night to set up a tutoring date, and never spoke a word about it. It feels like he's dodging the problem and we can't confront it like adults."

"Perhaps he feels it's behind him."

Minako's expression turned mournful. "I want to believe that. I do. But he's too smart to think like that. I KNOW HIM. He's too intelligent and too perceptive to simply accept that nothing happened between us."

Ami shrugged. "It may be his way of trying to put things behind him. Sort of willing it out of existence."

"But I've hinted to him that that's not enough. I've tried to get him to talk, but he always glosses over the issue. It's just frustrating is all."

"Understandably."

Minako hesitated. "What would you do in this situation, Ami-chan?"

Ami stopped for a moment to think. She was not one to give advice lightly and, as a result, her friends took it as seriously as they were able. "The one thing I've learned about men, in my many years of dealing with them." The last phrase was spoken with a distinct touch of irony. "Is that I am better off throwing everything that I think I know out the window and starting from the basic assumption that they're as dense as bedrock and about as smart when it comes to dealing with emotions. He may genuinely feel that he doesn't need to deal with it. Until then, be forgiving. Be the friend you always have been.

"I'm sure everything will work out then."


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Kevin took a quiet sip of air before letting it out softly with a slight hint of exasperation. It had seemed like ages since he had been to juku last, perhaps because of all that had transpired since he had come.

The previous week's session seemed like a distant memory. Tanaka-sensei had assigned him some homework to grade, homework which he was now frantically trying to finish. He supposed that it was a little irresponsible of him. But, he reflected without emotion, his definition of responsibility was a bit more flexible than it used to be.

He smiled languidly. There was something uniquely liberating about that thought, one of the many ways he had changed since he had come to Japan.

Gone was the binding reverence of law and social mores, the restrictions which governed his thoughts and actions. Replacing it was an extraordinary freedom of morality accorded to those who dispensed vigilante justice.

Kevin understood completely that there was a distinct danger with his methods. Magical powers imparted a certain responsibility upon him, the necessity of restraint given his unfair advantage over the rest of the human race. But he agreed with Artemis's contention that he had the responsibility of protecting the human race from harm. Sometimes even from itself.

He was a warrior with a noble cause and the nightmare of petty criminals everywhere. He could lay claim to a number of broken bones in the darkest corners of Tokyo, remembering each one with a note of pride. Indeed, it was an almost perfect situation.

Yet all the good he had accomplished had been marred by a single factor that haunted his thoughts. The power he had at his disposal made him faster and stronger than any human alive. With a single whispered word, he could run faster, climb higher, and jump farther than even the greatest human athletes. Even his asthma, a problem that had vexed him from childhood, disappeared while he tapped into his powers.

It was the most addictive drug that man had ever tasted, the power to do what others could not. That it made him feel so good frightened him terribly.

Artemis had once noted that in the presence of even a single noble action, evil was vanquished. A single candle could banish the darkness around it. And it was for that he continued his perilous journey.

Kevin idly wondered if he might be able to handle the power long enough when he was interrupted by the soft coughing of someone in the room.

A blue-haired girl sat in the front row, quietly reading a book, barely able to keep a grin off her face.

Kevin shook his head and chuckled softly. "How long have you been there?"

"About ten minutes. You looked so pensive. I would have hated to disturb you, sensei."

The title was spoken with only the faintest hint of irony, but Kevin looked ill all the same. "Look, don't call me that. It's a little too weird for me. Just Kevin or Bin-kun or something else."

"Then how would I accord you the respect you so clearly deserve?" Ami's face lit up with the trace of a smile.

"With something other than sensei. Please."

"A compromise, then. Bin-kun-sensei."

Kevin made a sour expression, and Ami laughed cheerfully. "Fine, fine. You always take away my fun."

"Isn't that what teachers are for?"

"Not usually, no. I'm told that they occasionally teach."

Kevin shook his head and returned to grading papers. "News to me."

Ami laughed again. "And how are you doing today, Kevin?"

"Not bad. I could be better."

"And why is that?"

"Well." Kevin lifted the stack of papers. "Among other things."

"And what are those other things?"

Almost chidingly. "Ami-chan, I never thought you a nosy one."

She replied smoothly. "I never thought you the private one."

"Heh." He shook his head and tossed his papers onto the desk. "Where's your partner in crime?"

"Minako-chan? She'll be along some time or another. She's a bit too much for me to keep track of, I'm afraid. Were you looking for her?"

"Just a tutoring session afterwards. She said that she might have to write a report in English, and she had no idea how to do that."

"Yes, well, it's not really standard Japanese educational fare."

"One of the shortcomings of your system, I believe."

Ami shrugged. "We'll survive."

--------------------

If there was one thing to be said about Minako, it was that she never lacked theatricality. Her time as Sailor V had taught her the importance of creating an indelible image, burning into the mind of the viewer. It was an integral part of her allure and her sensuality. To others, she was both image and desired symbol, a fact that she exploited mercilessly.

Therefore, it would not have been proper to say that she entered the room that she made an entrance.

Minako rushed into the classroom, plopped her books on the ground, and collapsed onto her desk. Kevin and Ami chuckled before the American intoned softly. "And how are you doing this fine day, Minako-chan?"

"Terribly." The blonde looked up and smiled at him. "But the day is getting better."

"Always a good thing." Kevin returned to his papers. "We still on for after juku?"

"Yup. Although, could we do it at your apartment instead of my house? Mom's having the floor waxed again. Artemis tore it up pretty well with his claws a couple of days ago."

"That's fine. It's quite messy. I hope you don't mind too much."

Dryly, "As long as it doesn't interfere with the studying too much, I think I can deal with it."

Kevin replied in a deadpan voice. "Are you sure? It is pretty messy. I don't want to startle you or anything."

Minako laughed and threw a pencil at his head. Kevin ducked quickly, and it bounced off the chalkboard. She shook her head slowly. "You're so mean!"

"I'm just looking out for your well being!" Kevin harrumphed indignantly. "And this is the thanks I get?"

"Uh oh, Bin-kun's mad!" Minako stuck her tongue out at him.

The American sighed theatrically. "I try so hard. What more can I do?"

"Poor baby." The blonde let her head roll to the side. "Don't let your head inflate too much. You might not be able to lift it up."

Kevin responded with a goofy grin, and both subsided into easy giggles. There was only the slightest hint of strain in their laughter, the sort that would be forgotten in a moment as a tasteful irrelevancy. But both parties sensed that something was amiss, and neither was willing to point it out to the other.

Although Ami had intimated otherwise, Minako could not believe that Kevin was not aware of the situation at hand. If anything, he was treating her with a delicacy that he hadn't ever exhibited before. And that meant that he knew something was up.

She imagined that he was reasonably experienced in such matters. Kevin seemed to be the sort to pursue genuine relationships, ones based on intelligent conversation and true intersections of interest and demeanor. It implied a depth of personality and an enforced perceptiveness.

Minako would have liked to have spent a few more minutes analyzing, but Tanaka-sensei's meter stick rapped on the table, and there was no more time.

--------------------

Kevin undid the top button of his shirt and loosened his tie before letting out a deep sigh of relief. Tanaka-sensei had been in a particularly foul mood that afternoon, taking it out bitterly on his class and his teaching assistant.

Kevin noticed that a couple of the less thick skinned students had fled the classroom in tears. Were he a better person, he might have gone after them, but, as it was, Kevin was emotionally exhausted, not looking forward to the prospect of tutoring Minako for another two hours.

He glanced at his watch before letting out a deep sigh. At the very least, Tanaka-sensei had let them out rather early, meaning that he might have time to even go out to dinner after Minako had left. It was on that thought that he placed the hopes of his day.

Minako came up from behind him and poked him in the ribs. "Bin-kun, let's go!"

"Right, right." The American wearily picked up his book bag and rummaged through his pockets for his wallet, cell phone, and keys.

The blonde shook her head. "Now you know how I feel about Tanaka-sensei everyday."

He growled irritably. "Well, I'd prefer not to feel it again."

Smoothly. "As would we all. Come on, let's get going. I have a report to write!"

Kevin laughed tiredly and held the door open theatrically. "As you command, milady."

She beamed at him and trotted outside into the fading sunlight. The American followed quickly, catching up in two steps. "So, tell me what this paper is about?"

"Something, about Japanese society in the past ten years. Bleh...couldn't I just take a test or do homework?"

"Oh, come on. Papers are fun. Besides, modern Japanese society is something of a pet interest of mine."

"That's right! You're doing research at the university!"

Kevin smiled. "Well, it would be called research if I was actually doing research. But, I do know a few choice things about the subject, cell phones and otherwise.

Minako's bag trilled suddenly. "Speaking of cell phones." She flipped her phone open and read the text message. "Oh, cool! One of my friends is cooking dinner! We have to go!"

"Wait, what about our tutoring session?"

The cool voice of Ami Mizuno came from behind him. "Certainly you can miss a single session. Besides, you have to taste Mako-chan's soba. It is something certainly worth missing a little studying."

Minako laughed aloud. "My dearest Ami-chan, degrading studying? What is wrong with this picture?"

"Studying has its time and place. I've always said that."

"But Ami, you've always held studying on par with the kami themselves!"

Ami allowed herself a happy grin. "And it is. But the kami never tasted Mako-chan's cooking."


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Broken glass littered the floor, sparkling in the late afternoon light like so many tiny gems. The stained glass windows of the great library had been smashed in. The windows had been the work of Mercurian glassmakers, who harnessed the power of the sun to create the fabulous colors which had enthralled so many first-time visitors to the moon.

Dozens of bodies, both enemy and friendly, lay strewn across the room. Serenity's forces had made a fighting retreat through the room, sustaining horrendous losses in the process. The fighting had been brutal, hand to hand at times. But the senshi had managed to orchestrate a reasonably coherent retreat, using their powers to beat back the heavy assault forces of Beryl's army.

The soldier poked his head around one of the pillars, his procured sword held close to his body. Beryl had committed her elites to this battle, knowing that a decisive breakthrough might rupture the Lunar lines. Her largest and strongest youma had been thrust into the battle and subsequently consumed in the frantic melee.

He crept slowly across the side, listening carefully for any noise out of the ordinary. Suddenly, the Retainer froze and ducked behind a table near the stacks of books. In his tan armor and battle uniform, the Retainer would stand out terribly amidst the stacks.

Three men wearing the officer's uniform of Beryl's army strode in, laughing as if they hadn't a care in the world.

"All that I'm saying is that if we could just find a quiet spot...there's one hole for each of us."

The Retainer's curiosity perked up at those words and he maneuvered quietly to get a better look at them. The three trotted easily across the room then stopped to look at something on the floor. "Wow, she's more beautiful than I imagined."

"Yeah...the senshi were supposedly the most beautiful women in the galaxy. Too bad the youma couldn't take her alive."

"Well, they're no better than animals. I don't ever get a good feeling when I'm around them."

"Do any of us, really?" One of them knelt down. "And she's still warm. Look, I saw a bedroom a little--"

The officer never finished that thought as the Retainer picked the man up with the power of his thoughts and hurled him upwards against the stone ceiling. The unfortunate officer crashed into it at full force, as if testing whether the stone or his skull would give way first. Gray matter and bone fragments fell back onto the room in a gory shower. The other two gaped at their friend's fate before drawing their swords and uttering a simultaneous battle cry.

They never stood a chance. The soldier had never been taught a chivalrous manner of fighting and relied upon his own instincts to guide him. He lashed the nearest with a psionic attack, tearing the very life force from the officer's mind and scattering it to the winds. The man crumpled without a word. The next managed to get close enough to swipe at the soldier with his sword. The soldier dodged easily, letting the blade fall short and battered the officer's face with a savage back fist before driving it into the marble floor with a terrifyingly casual maneuver.

After making sure his opponents were dead, the soldier slowly made his way to where they had been standing. Sailor Mars lay on the floor, her hands still rigid in the stylized gesture of a senshi attack. The soldier shook his head before dragging her unceremoniously to the side and out of view. He gently massaged her arms until they loosened enough for him to fold across her chest.

He bowed his head, whispering a prayer for the deceased. As the soldier stood up, the wind through the broken windows picked up and his cape fluttered in the wind.

He moved on.

--------------------

Kevin's eyes fluttered as he was hit by a wave of warmth and delicious smells. His nose picked up the mixed hints of food and flowers, and Kevin smiled broadly.

The apartment was small but cozy, a tribute to the one who lived there. A small living room lay before him, stuffed to the brim with a worn sofa and two comfortable looking recliners. There was a small, flat screen TV on the wall and a cabinet filled with various knickknacks and curios. His nose told him that the kitchen was beyond the living room, likely filled with delectable goodies to eat.

But the most curious thing about the room was the fact that there were photographs everywhere. Dozens of them were hung on the walls, depicting scenes of friendship and happiness. He could spot Minako and her friends in almost all of them, smiling with reckless abandon.

It was the home of someone who had lost one they had loved dearly and was determined never to let it happen again by filling their mind with the others who they cherished. And, in a way, it was the home of someone who could love unconditionally and who was loved by others in the same way.

"There you are!" A loud female voice hailed them from across the living room. "I've been putting off the final touches of this meal waiting for you guys!"

Minako rushed forward to hug Makoto with all her strength, beaming happily. "We had to convince Bin-kun to let me skip my tutoring session. We bribed him with a meal."

Kevin looked betrayed. "That's not how I remember it. I seem to recall you just dragging me here against my free will...all the time saying 'You'll thank me later!'"

"Same thing."

Kevin stood there uncomfortably for a moment before sticking his hand out. "Hi, it's nice meeting you again."

Makoto looked at him as if he were insane, then gave Minako a dirty look. "Haven't you educated him on how to act in my home?"

Minako shrugged sheepishly. "Give him a break."

Kevin raised a finger to inquire as to what the proper conduct was, but before he could Mako wrapped him in a monstrous bear hug. "Rule number one. No formality. We're friends."

She released him. "Any friend of Minako is mine as well. And I'm sure we'll get to know you better during dinner. Speaking of which, everyone's in the kitchen already. Come on!"

--------------------

Makoto deftly tossed the seared beef into the sukiyaki on the stove, showing the dexterity of a much more experienced chef. She covered it up quickly and flashed everyone at the table a charming smile. "Sorry for taking so long, but the sukiyaki only tastes good if you eat it right after it's cooked."

Rei chuckled softly. "Mako-chan, you're making us dinner. I'd think it would be unpardonably rude for us to complain."

"Ah, but a hostess always needs to look after her guests." Makoto dried her hands quickly with a dishtowel, then reached into the refrigerator for another dish. "I think we're about ready to start!" To Kevin, in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know much American cooking--"

Kevin interrupted her smoothly. "And I eat almost anything. I'm very flexible with food."

Makoto beamed before turning back to her cooking. Minako spared a glance at Kevin for perhaps the twentieth time that night. He had such an easy, joshing way with everyone. He fit in with her friends wonderfully without the tenseness that had begun to creep into their conversations.

Artemis, in the few chance times he had seen Kevin and her interact, had commented that it was odd that someone as well adjusted and articulate as Kevin was always a little tongue-tied around her. The cat had also remarked on how odd it was that he was still single. Had the feline's observations not been so on the mark, Minako might have thought he was implying something.

There were so many strange things about Kevin that she'd never quite gotten a handle on...and never really noticed until recently. Increasingly, Minako had begun to carefully select her topics around the American so that fewer of her thoughts were exposed to him.

And that thought annoyed her. If he was the one acting weirdly, why was she doing the same?

--------------------

The spicy sukiyaki broth brought droplets of sweat to his forehead, and Kevin breathed in the wonderful smells before sitting back uneasily. Makoto looked at him with a slight bemused expression. "Is there something the matter, Bin-kun?"

"I think I'm going into 'food shock.'"

"Well, I haven't heard of the condition...but I think I might have a remedy to it." Makoro quickly scooped a heaping ladle full of the broth into his bowl and filled his plate with anything she could reach on the table.

Kevin stared at the plate for a full minute before spearing a piece of seared yellow tail and popping it into his mouth. He chewed at it cautiously for a moment, closed his eyes as if having experienced divine rapture, and then wrapped Mako in a hug. "Oh, my god, I love you."

Rei responded sarcastically. "If you truly love her, you had better finish everything on your plate."

"I'll try my best. No promises though."

The rest of the table laughed at his mock seriousness, drawing him closer into their circle. The girls he dined with were an interesting bunch, a tightly bound together clique. Kevin had the strangest suspicion that he had just been adopted, as one would a stray cat or chihuahua. It was a position he was comfortable with for now.

Kevin could easily peg Ami as the smart one, Rei as the brash one, Makoto as the homemaker, Usagi as the drama queen, and Minako as the leader of the bunch. Yet, even those cliquish identifications defied his instincts.

First, he could tell that they had been together a long time. That they connected so easily indicated a long friendship, unfettered by suspicion or minor deceit. Even the oldest friends are suspicious of each other. It is often one's oldest friends of whom one has greatest reason to be suspicious.

But there was nothing devious about the banter being tossed around the table, no cattiness, no suggestions of any sort. Just good clean laughter and friendship.

It was not the sort of thing you encountered often with a tight knit group of rather attractive girls. There was no malicious sense of schadenfreude in that thought, just the clarity brought on by four homely years in high school. Within such circles, he always noticed a trace of self-destructive competition, a known willingness to undercut friends and acquaintances in order to promote oneself in the social sphere.

And when the tensions grew too great, the debutantes fractured and reformed into other groups of beautiful, popular people. That these girls did not indicated a depth that most high schoolers did not possess.

Which in turn made him wonder how they had gotten that way.

He shoveled another bite of rice into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. It was in the middle of his ruminations that he realized that Minako had been staring at him for the past five minutes. The second that he noticed her, she began babbling to Usagi about something or another, pretending as if nothing had happened.

And that smallest of exchanges summed up his entire relationship with the blonde girl. Ever since that terrible evening, everything had seemed a little bit more on edge with her, less friendly and more civil. He had the strange suspicion that she didn't really feel all that comfortable talking to him anymore.

All the indications pointed towards that stupid charity ball. Somehow their signals had been crossed, and everything that they had delicately built up over the past several months had crumbled about them. It seemed as though his valiant effort at the end of the night had been ignored, and they were suspended in that uncomfortable limbo between friendship and attraction.

For perhaps the millionth time, he cursed the convoluted nature of women. But, he thought with slight hope, Minako was better than most women. If something bugged her, she would come out and say it, consequences be damned. It was that refreshing frankness that Kevin treasured above all, and he knew that he could not rush something as delicate as that.

The only path of action, therefore, was to simply be the person he had always been, and wait until Minako felt ready to open up.

All would be solved then.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Japan has the somewhat specific honor of having the lowest crime rate among all industrialized nations. It is a factoid that the Japanese government touts with pride, often to the distress of other, more Western nations. In foreign parliaments, it is often cited by more jingoistic politicians as a reason to be wary of Japan, for any nation that can inspire such obedience in its citizens is a nation not to be trusted.

What most do not realize is that Japan's statistic refers to reported crimes, meaning many less savory forms of malfeasance such as rape and organized crime go relatively unnoticed. With overall crime rates so low, police often find it easier to blame the presence of foreigners for such crimes and leave it at that.

It was the victims of these crimes that Kevin had the greatest sympathy for, and the perpetrators on whom he lavished his harshest treatment.

This time the culprit was a Japanese male, wearing the uniform of the Japanese Naval Infantry. After a night of heavy drinking, this one had lumbered from the bar towards a less well-regarded area of Tokyo. The victim was a young woman in a school girl outfit, no more than twenty years old. That she had been hanging out on a street corner said a bit about her profession.

The alley had been deserted. The time about right.

The clock chimed out three sonorous times, drowning out the panicked screams of the girl. As if it would have mattered anyway. There was no one around to hear.

Kevin sighed. Even prostitutes needed to be protected.

With a movement that bordered on casual, he dropped down three stories from his perch, right behind his target.

Then, without a word, he grabbed the soldier by his slightly longer than regulation length hair and slammed the man's face into a nearby concrete wall. The marine, a veteran of peacekeeping operations across the world and the master of a dozen hand to hand combat techniques, crumpled to the ground without a word. Kevin looked down on the man with an apathetic expression and kicked the soldier in the side as hard as he could.

The man groaned and rolled over in pain. The American half smiled, then turned to the girl cowering in the corner.

"Go home, ma'am."

She scampered off into the night, and Kevin breathed easy again. Another good deed done for the day.

--------------------

Black clouds accumulated overhead, rising into the sky like great skyscrapers. A cool wind swept down from the heavens, sending a chill through Venus. Transformed though she was, the skirt were still terribly skimpy. She wrapped her magic about her like a protective cloak, ablating the cold and preserving her body heat as best she could.

She vaulted another two stories, landing deftly on the gravelly roof. Idly, Venus wondered how she managed to be so graceful while transformed, to the point of being able to maneuver on gravel surfaces on stiletto heels.

The absurdity of that thought brought a smile to her face.

"May I ask what is so funny?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin, then turned to see her rendezvous staring at her curiously. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I approached with all the grace of a gut-shot rhino. You were so wrapped up in yourself that you did not notice me." The man's face twisted into a strange expression, as if he had not expected to say those words.

Venus filed that information away for later use and quickly changed the topic. "When did you get here?"

"Just before you did. I had some unfinished business to take care of."

"That would explain the sirens. What happened?"

The man waved his hand. "A small matter of an attempted rape. The man resisted, and I responded with reciprocal force."

"Good." Venus smiled. She was gratified. His moral compass was true enough and that made her happy. She had fretted like a girl on a date over what sort of person he would be, whether he was nice to animals or visited his mother.

She laughed softly, then stopped upon seeing his puzzled expression. It would prove to be a long night.

--------------------

The vaunted Princess Venus started out by asking a few tangential questions about where he had come from, how he had come about, and other useless things.

The Retainer had prepared for this eventuality and had meticulously come up with responses that were at the same time truthful and misleading. The best lies were those which are based on truth. One was more likely to forget that which had not happened.

And, so he spoke a careful line between truth and falsehood, lying only by omission. The Retainer sensed that she knew that he wasn't telling the entire truth, but, thankfully, did not care.

In fact, she hadn't been focused on the question session at all. Venus had been going through the questions rote, seeming as though she wasn't even listening to the answers. It was curious to him that she should act in such a way. After all, she had spent the past couple of weeks trying to track him down, and it seemed a little bit...fickle not to want to pick his brain after the efforts undertaken to corner him. Once upon a time, he might have found it frustrating. Now, it was just amusing.

Sailor Venus paced across the rooftop, placing each foot down carefully. He imagined that she didn't want to take any more unnecessary slips after what happened the last time. "Where are your usual patrol routes?"

He let out a carefully camouflaged sigh. "Juuban District. Downtown. Wherever I feel the urge to visit."

"And do you just watch out for criminals on those patrols?"

In a deadpan voice. "A little bit of that. Some black magic when I have the time. And I always try to get in a quick broomstick ride before midnight."

It took a couple of seconds for her to realize that he was joking. She shot him a dirty look. "Come on. Be serious."

Kevin walked carefully along the lip of the building, almost losing his balance when a sudden gust of wind blasted into him. "I have no trouble being serious when the situation calls for it. But, Princess, I would be remiss in my duties if I did not ask you if something was wrong."

Venus looked at him suspiciously. "So, we're friends now?"

He shrugged. "We could be enemies, and it would not make a whit of difference. Besides, when was the last time you had a stranger to tell your troubles to?"

She barked out an abrupt laugh that trailed off into hideous silence.

--------------------

Venus stared at him balefully, as though he were a target in her crosshairs. Her hands balled up into fists, and she imagined what he would look like with a black eye. Something about his last statement struck a nerve. It was a gentle statement of the truth, something that she had been doing her best to avoid thinking about. What made it worse was the fact that he treated it as if it were nothing, as if it could be solved with a conversation. And he wasn't even being a jerk about it.

He was so unassuming, she wanted to punch him.

His eyes flicked down to her balled fists and then back to her eyes, displaying a wan curiosity as to what she wanted to do. They conveyed very clearly that it was her move.

Venus drew in a deep breath, then let it out softly. She loosened her fists and grimaced. "Nothing is the matter."

"Really." The man walked towards her carefully, as if she was the one being interrogated not he. His eyes never left hers and, for a moment, she felt as though they were peeking into her soul.

'He's an empath!' She growled angrily, "Get out of my mind!"

"Sorry, sorry." He leaned back heavily. "I apologize for that. I got caught up in the moment."

Venus fingered the chain at her waist, glaring at him distrustfully. "You had no right to invade my thoughts--"

"I didn't." The man seemed to shrink into himself as if drained by the effort. "I can't read your mind...I can only sense feelings and emotions. And only if they are strong ones."

Sarcasm laced her words. "And, pray tell, what did you see with me?"

He gestured pointlessly. "Distrust, confusion, loneliness. Fear." His voice turned questioning. "A strange emotion to find in you."

Venus lowered her voice. "And what is all that supposed to mean?"

"I do not know. If I did, I would try to alleviate your pain."

She spat out harshly, "I don't need your help."

Venus was gratified to see him wince. "I apologize wholeheartedly, milady. I meant no harm. If you don't mind, I'll take my leave of you." He bowed slowly, then turned to walk away.

She had never expected contrition. She wanted hatred; she wanted venom in his voice. She wanted to hate him for the issues that he dared talk about. She wanted to hurt him and badly if only to even out the pain that they felt.

Mercury was the smartest. Jupiter was the strongest. Mars was the most confident. But Serenity had chosen Venus as leader of her senshi because of her unerring ability to snuff out emotion and approach a situation as coolly and calmly as possible.

Venus drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking her anger with it. First problem solved. Her eyes darted to the uniformed man, questioning his motives and his sincerity. And even if she believed those to be sound, could she tell a complete stranger about the mess which had consumed her life?

"Wait." She let a smiled worm its way onto her face. "I overreacted. I'm sorry. It's just been...a very stressful week."

"I know how it feels." The man grinned sympathetically. "There are days when I wonder whether or not it's worth getting up in the morning."

She allowed herself another grin. "So, why do you?"

Dryly, "The triumph of hope over experience."

Venus giggled, and the man looked at her seriously. "You know, you should do that more often."

"What?"

"Laugh."

Her expression turned sour. "We were having a moment, and you use a pickup line?"

"I wouldn't be me if I didn't screw up somewhere." He grinned and she sighed with mock exasperation. He continued. "Back when I...felt your emotions. I sensed fear."

"So?"

"I just thought it strange that you were afraid of something."

"Why is that?"

There was a trace of another smile. "Sailor Venus? I can't imagine much that she'd be scared of."

She laughed. "Everyone fears something."

The man stopped, letting his penetrating gaze close in on her. "And what, Princess, do you fear?"

Sailor Venus stopped to think about that one. No one had ever posed that particular question to her before, and she had to reach for an answer. The one she found was uncomfortably personal. She shifted uncomfortably before blurting out. "Can we continue this another time?"

He looked stunned for a moment, then nodded his agreement. "Until next time, milady."

"Yeah, next time." And she fled.


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The ruddy light of a Saturday afternoon poured in through the slit windows of the office, illuminating the bookshelves and the layers of dust that covered them.

Kevin scribbled something down on his notepad then quickly referred to one of the many books in the room. His eyes darted over the page quickly for a quote and he jotted down the page and paragraph number. Squinting at the computer screen for a moment, Kevin sighed and rubbed his eyes before allowing himself a small feeling of triumph.

His professor, as usual, was nowhere to be found. Kevin's academic pursuits had been thoroughly foundered by his professor's persistent absence. He had no access to the preliminary research or monetary funds which his professor had procured for the assignment. Kevin did not expect there to be much anyway. Trips to visit the geisha were not cheap, and the near constancy which the man seemed to be at them told Kevin that he might have some methods of financing alternative to a professor's salary.

But the entrepreneurial instincts that had brought Kevin to Japan still burned true, and he was seeking to salvage what he could from his experience. His first move had been to access Amherst's alumni network, seeking people working in the Japanese cellphone industry. He had found two: one in engineering and one in marketing. The marketing contact had been particularly useful.

The alumnus was a junior vice president at NTT DoCoMo, the largest cell phone provider in Japan. Kevin had scheduled a lunch with the man, put on the bespoke suit, and laid out his mission statement. Kevin had easily explained that there was a clear confluence of interest. He needed the company ,and the company needed him.

Kevin then proposed a deal. He would require an immediate infusion of capital to continue his face-to-face interviews as well as cover any miscellaneous expenses that came along the way. In return, NTT DoCoMo would receive co-authorship rights to the paper and decent ground level market research as well as the beneficial public relations intangibles of supporting a worthy, academic effort.

When Kevin left the restaurant, he had within his hand a check for six million yen, access to all of the company's market research, and a job offer for after college.

He grinned humorlessly. It was definitely a job he wouldn't be taking.

Kevin pushed those thoughts from his mind and concentrated on the task at hand. He had sixty pages to write in the next couple of weeks and was still formulating the outline in his head.

As he contemplated Hashimoto's work on the cell phone's influence on Japanese culture, his own cell phone vibrated. With a palpable feeling of irony, Kevin plucked it from his pocket and scanned the text message on it.

"Shit!" he cried out and grabbed his book bag. With a sense of regret, he glanced at his work then scampered off to a forgotten meeting.

--------------------

He was late on purpose. She knew it.

Minako glanced impatiently at the clock and paced about the entryway like a caged animal. It was always vexing when Kevin was late...quite simply because he was never late. He was terribly deliberate about everything he did, from going to class to sipping a soda. Kevin had an intellectual force unmatched by most his age. She would hesitate to say he was as smart as Ami, but the fact that her friend had found him so easy to get along with spoke volumes about his intelligence and abilities. She found it difficult to believe that such a person could be accidentally tardy.

When she had called, he said that he had been at the university trying to catch up on some research he had been neglecting. It was a likely excuse, but one she couldn't really call him on. It infuriated her no to reasonable end.

To make matters worse, she knew in her heart that he didn't really do anything wrong in the first place; so, she had no justification in being this angry at him. That infuriated her even more.

She was busy fuming when the doorbell rang. Minako darted over and opened the door to see Kevin standing there. He was breathing heavily and a couple of drops of perspiration had formed on his forehead. "Hey."

Irritably, "What took you?"

"Lost track of the time. Sorry." He sat down heavily to take off his shoes.

With more than a hint of malice, she jested softly. "You're out of shape."

He replied in a low monotone that stung her more than screaming or sharpness could. "Your house is far away."

Minako glared at him and said venomously. "Well, it wouldn't be if you were on time."

Kevin straightened painfully and looked down at her. "I've already apologized. What more do you want from me, Minako-chan?"

And just like that he had shifted the guilt from his shoulders to hers. Easy as sneezing. She forced a smile and grabbed his arm. "I just want a tutor."

--------------------

Kevin skimmed through her paper, marking down her grammatical mistakes and logical jumps. The paper was actually on cell phones, a clear move to take advantage of his extensive knowledge of the subject. He shot her a look that said, 'Why am I not surprised?'

Minako returned a shrug and an innocent little smile. He grinned and shook his head.

"I really like your writing, actually."

She flopped down onto her back and stared at him upside down. "Really?"

"Really. You have a remarkable hand at description, and your prose is very clear. Just a few grammatical errors to clear up, and you can write your second draft."

"Whoa, hold onto that thought. What second draft?"

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Usually, you try to write a second draft that's an improvement on the first draft. And then you write a final draft. Which is the one you turn in."

"I dunno. Seems like a lot of work."

He shrugged. "I don't make the rules. I just abide by them."

"So, this is a rule?"

"It is now." They both laughed. Kevin leaned back in her computer chair then slipped out onto the floor.

Minako giggled madly. "That looks like fun." She rolled onto the floor with him, laughing hysterically the entire time.

"You know, I might feel a little more embarrassed if you hadn't made a fool of yourself along with me. Thanks for that."

"Anything for a friend."

Kevin closed his eyes and smiled. It was not long before he felt a weight on his chest. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the furry white face of a cat staring down at him. "Whoa. Hey, Artemis."

The cat meowed softly, then swatted at his nose with a paw.

"Ah, the cat likes you!" Minako sat up.

"If by likes, you mean bugs." Kevin picked Artemis up before sitting up himself and cradled the cat in the crook of his arm. "He's a magnificent looking cat. Had him for long?"

"A couple of years now. Feels like forever." She reached out to grab Artemis and hugged him close. "He's my baby."

"A sixteen year old with a baby. That's not something you like hearing often."

"Oh, shut up." Minako mock glared at, him and Kevin smiled easily.

Artemis hissed suddenly and swatted at her sleeve with bared claws. Minako yelped in surprise and dropped him to the floor. He scampered off into the adjoining bathroom with the girl in hot pursuit.

Kevin dropped his face into hand and sighed.

--------------------

The door slammed behind them and Minako hissed softly. "What the hell was that for?"

Artemis leaped onto the toilet then onto the sink. "To get you in here."

"Clever. Could you have done it without trying to shred my shirt?"

"Look, Minako. I'm not sure if you've noticed--"

"Drop it," she growled uncomfortably.

"Look, Minako-chan...he's a nice guy." The cat jumped and landed deftly on her shoulder. "Maybe you should give him a chance?"

"Artemis, not now." Minako's face twisted in pain. "I don't know how I feel about it yet. We're just now getting back on decent terms. I don't want to wreck it by thinking about him in that way."

"What happened at the ball that night was unfortunate. It was the wrong time and the wrong place. But that doesn't mean it's not right now or some time in the future. All I'm saying is think about it."

The voice of Minako's mother came sounded faintly through the door. "Minako! Dinner!"

Artemis slid off her shoulder and landed deftly on his feet. "Just think about it."

She stared at him for a second, trying to reconcile conflicting emotions then nodded and scampered out of the room.

Artemis allowed himself an accomplished smile before trotting out the open door.

--------------------

Minako's mother dried her hands with a dishtowel. "Kevin-san! I didn't know you were here!"

Kevin smiled wearily. "The paper took a little longer than expected, but it's almost done now. Minako can finish up the rest herself."

"I must say, Kevin-san, Minako's English has improved so much since you've begun tutoring her."

"Minako-chan is a hard worker. She makes my job easy."

The older woman placed her hands on her hips in disbelief. "My Minako? You're kidding."

"Not in the slightest." He glanced at his watch. "It is quite late. I really ought to be off to find myself some dinner."

"Nonsense. I can't have such a hardworking teacher go off by himself. I insist you stay tonight for dinner."

"Thank you, Aino-san. But I really ought to be--"

She almost glowered at him. "I insist."

Kevin gulped softly and nodded. "Thank you very much."


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Minako and Kevin sat across from each other, each uncomfortably staring at the other. Kevin poked at the bowl of rice in front of him, then smiled his thanks to her mother. The American was a savvy social player when it came to meeting parents. He knew exactly the image he wanted to project; conservative, open minded, intelligent, and witty. He had disarmed many a girlfriend's disapproving father with that persona and plied it again with deceptive ease.

Minako's father smiled wanly at Kevin. "So, you are the boy that's tutoring my daughter in English?"

Kevin nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off of the older man. He had reason to be wary.

The male Aino-san was an investment banker specializing in the debt restructuring of financially distressed companies. Investment bankers were the sharks of the white collar community. Hordes of college graduates flooded the doors of white-shoe firms like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch every year only to be weeded from the job pool by stress induced attrition. The average college graduate entering investment banking was expected to survive no more than seven months. Only the smartest and most ruthless survived.

Of that select pool, only a few had the fortitude to enter debt restructuring. Aino-san's specialty involved rescuing companies from the brink of bankruptcy by using every single amoral trick he could think of to keep them that way. The banker's tactics included the closing of factories, the sale of capital assets, and the firing of thousands of workers. In the investment banking world, debt restructuring specialists were among the most reviled persons out there for their Machiavellian bag of tricks and willingness to sacrifice friend and foe for the cause.

"I am, sir." Kevin added the sir with an almost theatrical flourish, not wanting to arouse the ire of a man who fired people for a living.

"And where are you studying?"

"Amherst College, sir."

Minako's father half smiled. "Most interesting. My best analyst is from Williams College. Have you heard of it?"

The American grinned. "Our biggest rival? How could I not have, sir?"

"Indeed. He has had some choice things to say about Amherst himself." Aino-san paused. "I wonder, Kevin-san, if you could do me a favor."

"What is that, sir?"

"Please, stop calling me sir. It makes me feel old."

Kevin allowed himself a grin before Minako's mother gave her husband a hard love tap in the ribs. "He's just being respectful!"

"But I don't like being old." Aino-san's voice modulated between disapproval and a slight whine as he rubbed his ribs.

The woman turned to Kevin and smiled. "Forgive him. He's not being very polite today, I'm afraid. He's very happy to be referred to with that honorific."

Aino-san grumbled softly. "Right."

Minako's mother turned to him. There was a hardness beneath the dewy sweetness of her voice. "What was that, dear?"

"Nothing."

She turned back to Kevin. "And what are you studying in university?"

"Japanese Studies, ma'am." The American smiled uneasily and poked at his dinner.

--------------------

Minako rolled her eyes. It was a talk that she'd heard a million times. Every time she brought a boy home for dinner, her mother would grill them as she would a potential suitor. What were they studying? What were his grades? In fact, she was willing to wager that the next question her mother would ask what Kevin wanted to do when he got out of college.

"And what are you thinking of doing after graduating?"

The girl shook her head. She really didn't expect her parents to think much of Kevin. He was a rugged individualist, a free thinker, and a liberal arts student to boot. Quite simply, Kevin was ill suited to impress her parents, who would no doubt see him as an American dilettante without direction or focus in life.

It was not a view that Minako shared. Indeed among her friends, it was he who she worried about the least. There was a casual confidence and a sense of purpose about him that defied traditional notions of post collegiate job security. He was a man, who by age seventeen, had already founded his own business and gained a modicum of independence that even her accomplished father could not claim. Of all of her friends, she knew that he would be tremendously successful at whatever field he focused upon.

However, all of that relentless logic would not impress her parents, who scoffed at those who would learn for the sake of learning. It was a prejudice not easily discarded in the almost caste-like society of Japan. A successful future was the product of carefully contemplated action starting at the age of three, not some footloose hope that everything would be okay.

Minako imagined that she would even get a talk later that night about how she shouldn't associate with losers. It was a depressing thought.

Kevin grinned. "Well, I recently received a job offer to work at NTT DoCoMo in their marketing department after graduation."

"That's a very prestigious company," Minako's mother said approvingly. "You should take it."

The American shrugged. "I won't be graduating for another two years. I don't want to make a decision yet. I'd like to keep my options as open as possible."

"Hmm." It was not quite a sound of disapproval. "As you Americans say, a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush."

Kevin chuckled softly. "But this is reasonably assured. I did manage to get the offer in writing."

Her mother laughed and touched Minako's shoulder. "You are eminently sensible. More so than this one."

Minako reddened slightly and glared at her mother.

--------------------

Kevin shook his head and rose to her defense. "Minako-chan is a little bit of a dreamer. That's a good thing. 'There is nothing like a dream to create the future. Utopia today, flesh and blood tomorrow.'"

Minako's mother sighed. "I think that my Minako-chan is a little bit too much of a dreamer. More tonkatsu, Kevin-san?"

He nodded gratefully, unwilling to say no to the woman. "I thank you, Aino-san. This meal is wonderful."

"I'm glad you enjoy it." The woman beamed.

Kevin picked up a piece of the fried meat, his eyes carefully scanning the faces of his tablemates. The father had settled back into the chair clearly bored with his wife's attentions on the guest. Kevin sensed that the older man liked him but didn't really want to get in the way of his wife.

The mother stared at him intently. Kevin was fairly certain he had her figured out. She was a social climber, who had married her husband independent of sentiment or affection to elevate her social status. Further, she wanted to pass on the trappings of status to her daughter, likely by marrying her off to a successful businessman of some sort. For Minako's mother, it was all about the money, and the penetrating stares she gave Kevin were meant to determine how much money he might make in the future. It was not an entirely foreign feeling.

His sight grazed over Minako, who seemed terribly ill at ease with the entire situation. Kevin sensed that she was aghast at the grasping words of her mother and wanted nothing more than to leave. It was accompanied by the somewhat shocking thought that Minako was actually embarrassed on his behalf. He kicked her lightly under the table to rouse her from her thoughts and smiled widely at her.

She cocked her head in curiosity. Kevin finished off the rest of the food in his bowl, then looked at Minako's mother. "If I might inquire, what time is it?"

"Nine o'clock. You have to get to class tomorrow!" Minako's mother leaped to her feet. "So sorry, Kevin-san! We must get you home!"

"I can walk. It's not too far from here."

"Good! Minako can accompany you then! I would hate for you to walk home alone."

Kevin stood up quickly. "Thank you, Aino-san, but I'm quite capable of getting home by myself."

The mother regarded him with that all too familiar glower. "I insist."

--------------------

As Kevin went upstairs to grab his jacket, Minako's mother breathed out heavily and cheerfully said, "Now he seems like a nice young man!"

"Hmm," Minako replied, striving not to give up any sign of emotion to her mother's hawk-like gaze.

Her mother ventured again. "So well mannered. And he seems like he knows precisely where he's going."

The blonde could not help but steal a glance at her mother, who seemed to be waiting for an answer. "He's a nice guy."

There was a tiredness in her mother's voice that betrayed the older woman's intentions. It was the motherly advice voice. "Minako-chan, I realize that you and I have had our differences in opinion over the years. And I realize that you don't always listen to what I say. But at least hear me out this time.

"That one is going to go far. He's smart and savvy and knows where he's going. Far be it from me to push you into a relationship you don't want." That was not entirely a lie. "But if you have any feelings for him whatsoever...pursue him with every ounce of energy you have in your soul." The woman paused. "I would like him as a son-in-law."

The hatred which burned in Minako's gut abated for moment as she pondered that thought. He had outperformed her expectations in every single way. He had refrained from offending her parents' sensibilities, focusing on the positive aspects of his 'resume' with consummate ease. That he could so effectively deal with her mother alone made him a worthy candidate.

And, of course, she couldn't forget how he had defended her honor at dinner and simultaneously conveyed just how proud he was of her. It sent a warmth down her spine...a feeling she thrust from her mind as quickly as she could.

She looked away from her mother, up the stairs to see Artemis gazing down at her with his penetrating eyes. Her stomach knotted up again, and she clenched her hands into fists until Kevin came up from behind and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Ready to go?"

Minako nodded slowly and moved through the open door into the darkness beyond.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

As soon as the door closed, Kevin flashed Minako an apologetic smile. "Sorry for kicking you back there. You looked like you wanted to leave or wanted me to leave, so I decided to make a hasty exit."

"Thanks. Sorry for forcing my mom on you...she's a little much to take all at once."

"You shouldn't worry about it so much. I can handle myself."

"Oh yeah. I keep on forgetting." Minako giggled. "You are a young, highly successful, eligible male which any household would love to marry their daughter off to."

In a faintly protesting tone, "You make it sound so easy. I have to work very hard to be the object of everyone's envy."

Minako sighed and punched him lightly on the arm. "Don't get a big head or anything."

"Not a chance."

--------------------

Artemis watched the two disappear into the inky blackness of the night and sighed with relief. That was one problem averted. With those two distracted with each other, he imagined that the Retainer and Venus would talk to each other more about their alter egos than letting Venus's skepticism rub off on the American.

In a way, he wanted them to get together. They were good together, more so than most of Minako's boy toys. He was intelligent and as steady as bedrock, providing Minako the stability that she had always craved. Kevin had tamed her as so many had failed to do.

If they broke up, they would still be distracted and for some time too.

Artemis shook his head and staved off any feelings of preemptive guilt. The purpose of his machinations had been accomplished. Retainer and Venus were distracted from each other.

The only problem he had to face now was the fact that Kevin would leave for America in the near future. The study abroad program was coming to an end and Artemis still needed a defender for Japan. He could not have cared less what happened to the rest of the world, but Tokyo needed to be preserved if only for the coming of Crystal Tokyo.

The cat curled up for a nap. What he needed to do was to figure out some way to bind Kevin inextricably to Japan. It was a vexing question. He would sleep on it.

--------------------

It was silent for most of the walk back. Minako had been terribly quiet, rarely speaking. Kevin himself was terrible at the entire small talk thing. And so both of them suffered in silence, wondering when the other was going to speak.

It was a problem they had never encountered, a lack of conversation. The usual rhythm was easy enough to fall into. Minako would make a comment and Kevin would make a semi-cynical retort. Minako would respond to the retort and the process continued. It was aided by the fact that they genuinely did find each other fascinating.

That aspect of their relationship had not changed in the slightest. They still found each other endlessly amusing, for they saw each other as ambassadors from lands foreign to their separate sensibilities.

They were kindred spirits; she the vivacious one and he the reserved one.

Kevin would admit he found Minako a thrilling person, beautiful and strikingly intelligent. She had been an adept guide to Tokyo, forcing him to open up when he would have closed himself off from the world. He cherished her as he would the very best of his friends.

It confused him that she was so quiet that night. Perhaps she had had enough of talking for the interim, maybe even a product of her mother's incessant nagging. It was a perfectly logical and justifiable reason.

But Kevin knew the value of silence better than most. And he felt deep in his gut that this was not one of those times when it would be better to stay quiet.

The American gestured to the clear sky. "Beautiful night isn't it?"

As if glad to break the tension between them. "Yeah, it's really pretty. Don't get to see nights like this that often in Tokyo."

"Why is that?"

"The lights usually get in the way." Minako shrugged. "You really have to go into the country to get something like this."

"Hmm." The two lapsed back into silence, each shuffling slowly towards their eventual destination.

--------------------

Minako glanced at the sky then at her companion. He was hunched over as if walking into a strong headwind, the posture of a college student who had carried too many books in his lifetime. But there was something purposeful about his gait that indicated a man who knew where he was going and what he was doing. She could almost imagine that it was a confident swagger.

If anything, she was attracted to his confidence. There was no false modesty associated with Kevin just the reassuring thought that everything was going to be all right. That he could make everything all right. If she was attracted to him, then he'd be a pretty perfect match. Too bad she wasn't.

Right?

--------------------

He tossed the card at her.

"The ace of hearts..." Minako reached for it with her free hand, but just as it touched her fingers, it shattered into a billion pieces, each out of her reach forever.

"I'll tell your final fortune," Ace said softly. His eyes locked onto hers, and she felt her love slipping away from her. Venus grabbed back with both hands, even tighter, struggling to maintain her grip. "Your love will be hopeless for all eternity."

--------------------

Minako's eyes fluttered for a moment and then flashed open. She took a couple of shallow breaths and then wiped the cold sweat off of her brow.

"Is everything okay?" Kevin's concerned voice sounded in her ear.

She nodded quickly then let out a pent in breath. On an impulse, Minako asked quietly. "Do you believe in fate, Bin-kun?"

He looked surprised. "Fate as in destiny?"

"As in the things we do are preordained. That we do them because there is some great plan in store for us."

Kevin stared off into the distance. "No, I do not."

"Why not?" Minako kicked at a sign on the sidewalk.

"Because I don't like the feeling of not having control over my life. Somehow that idea doesn't sit well with me."

She stared at him for a long moment. "I don't know. It shields you from knowing that you made the wrong decisions."

"Maybe, but I find that that just makes people reckless." Kevin shrugged. "Fate seems to be just a scapegoat for people who don't want to be accountable for their actions."

"But what about the security of knowing that something is in store for you, that you're being looked after in some way."

He let loose an unbelieving chuckle. "Then it would be unpardonably arrogant for me to believe that fate somehow is looking out for me specifically. I'm not vain enough to believe that somehow I'm better and smarter and more deserving of a great destiny than a thousand other people out there."

Minako scrunched her face into a frown. "What makes you think you're not going to have a great and powerful future?"

"Well, I don't think I'm necessarily entitled to it." Kevin ran a hand through his black hair, a sure sign of agitation. "At least with free will, I can believe that what I did, how I conducted my life, the events that I made happen...all of those things allowed me to make my own future rather than relying on some intangible hope that destiny is on my side."

"But what about things out of your control? Like the weather or the socioeconomic class which you were born into? I mean there are so many things out there which you can't have any control over whatsoever...all of which contribute to your future in some measurable way. Then how can you say that you're making your own fate?"

He sighed. "Because it is still based on the idea that even with those particular advantages or disadvantages, I still have to make the right decisions at the right time. I suppose I'm a little fundamentalist about it, but I truly believe that there are many futures, many possibilities. Our job as humans is to pick one."

Kevin let a tiny smile creep over his face. "Why all the philosophical questions, Minako-chan? It's pretty heavy stuff for a school night."

She laughed humorlessly and rubbed her arms. "I don't know what came over me. It's been something that's been bugging me for a long time. Didn't quite know how to approach it."

"And what do you believe in?"

The blonde let a frown mar her perfect features. "I don't know anymore. I used to like the idea of some power looking out for me...that there was some plan in store for me as long as I trusted there was. But lately, I've begun to wonder."

"Whether there is a plan. Whether you're special or it's just a dream to keep you happy at night."

Minako paused and sighed again. "Well, we're here. Thanks for the talk."

And she turned and left. Kevin didn't even have the time to raise his hand and thank her.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The spring rains had decided to come early, probably just to vex him. The Retainer glanced first at the stormy clouds then at his armor. 'I wonder if this can be dry cleaned.'

He shook his head. Luckily, he'd had the foresight to bring enough to bring a relatively large umbrella with him. It wasn't the most glamorous way to keep dry, but building some sort of psychic barrier to moisture or something similarly cool would have taken far too much time and energy to be worth it. As with most things, laziness won.

The nice thing about the rain was the fact that people wouldn't be out if they could possibly help it. And when there were outside, they'd be too busy looking at the ground rather than staring at the sky. For once, he could actually go outside in the daylight instead of wrecking his sleep schedule with continuous night rendezvous.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes uncontrollably. The Retainer, or more specifically Kevin, was in dire need of sleep. The past couple of nights had been hard ones. The college student had been hard at work, struggling to prepare for his end of the term exams while writing upwards of ten pages a week of his social science research paper. Kevin had been sleeping only four or five hours a night while still struggling to maintain his job at juku and his tutoring schedule with Minako.

It had devolved into a situation where he would be in class and work from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon, would then work until ten at night, and then would write until he collapsed from exhaustion at around three in the morning. His alarm would wake him up at seven in order to get in a little more writing and reading before class.

The stress might have been unbearable for a normal human, but Kevin was lucky enough to have hidden reserves to draw upon. As Artemis had so aptly pointed out, the currents of magic allowed savvy users to recharge and regenerate.

The Retainer closed his eyes and reached out into those murky waters, surrounding himself with strands of magical energy. He drew the energy back into himself, wondering at the tingling feeling dancing through his body.

He had never quite gotten used to the rush which accompanied every experience. Strength instantly returned to his weary muscles and he felt the heaviness from his eyes drop away. He felt his senses begin to recover from the lack of sleep and he began to notice things that he did not before. Rather than opening his eyes, he let his mind soar into higher planes of existence, feeling the magic propel him to even higher heights than before.

Then, in a sudden movement, he opened his eyes, letting the light stream into them like a beam of pure delight. Every breath that he took set his lungs aflame, consuming the air and replacing it with liquefied pleasure. The euphoria blasted into him, sparking feelings of megalomania. He could feel the power coursing through his fingertips and knew that there was nothing beyond his reach. If only for an instant, the Retainer knew that he could take on an army, a nation, even Serenity herself if he chose.

The happiness was almost orgasmic and he sat back heavily to regain his bearings. The return to reality was always a little disappointing. His hands trembled from the effort and he laughed softly. Aside from that, everything was right with the world.

--------------------

Sailor Venus hugged herself and wondered why she was so stubborn about weather. She had seen the reports on TV, checked the internet, and had even looked outside to see if she needed to bring an umbrella or something.

All the evidence had pointed towards rain. And she had, quite simply, ignored all the evidence. Venus sighed and blew a strand of damp hair out of her face. She could shield herself from most of the drops, but meeting on the roof of an office building did have its drawbacks in the lack of overhangs to huddle underneath.

It was hard to make out the Tokyo skyline because of the rain and the fog that accompanied it, so she was bored too. 'Ah, the glamorous life of the beautiful Sailor Venus. Waiting in the rain for people you don't know and probably won't like.'

Venus brooded on that thought for a moment, until she realized that raindrops were no longer splashing on her head. She chuckled. "Thanks. I was wondering when you might show up."

The Retainer moved next to her, all the time keeping the umbrella over her head. "I had some business to finish up."

"Another criminal?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Just some personal issues."

Venus smiled. "You are a mysterious one. I'll give you that."

"It is my shield, Lady Venus. Besides, it gets me in the tabloids."

"I do recall seeing you in the newspapers a little while back. And I thought you didn't want people finding out who you were!"

He shrugged. "I didn't...but apparently the press had their own opinion on that matter."

Venus slapped him lightly on the arm. "Forgive them. They need their sensationalist stories."

"I just wish they wouldn't use me as the subject is all."

--------------------

"You know, I've always liked this place."

Venus looked away from the flowerbed she was tending. "Why is that?"

"I'm not sure. I've just always felt very comfortable here."

The princess laughed and jumped onto his back. "Well maybe it's because I'm here?"

The Retainer winced, then shot a glare at her. "You make my life more difficult not easier."

"You love me and you know it."

The man shrugged off her weight, sending her sprawling on the ground, and replied jovially. "I despise you wholeheartedly, milady."

"Hmmph. It's times like these when I wonder why I still keep you around."

The Retainer moved to sit on the grass next to her. "Because you need me to curb your excesses, milady."

She shook her head and flopped back onto the grass. Her eyes traced up the great glass dome and stared at the roiling clouds just above. Venus was a wild and beautiful planet, but rather inhospitable to life of any sort. Even with the aid of magic, the first settlers had died in droves from the soaring temperatures and unpredictable lava flows. To combat this, they had pooled their resources to create massive habitat domes in order to provide protection for living and food.

One of the princess's illustrious ancestors had laid the foundation for the first of the renowned domed cities of Venus, named Ishtar Luna, the Fertile Moon.

It was from that line of hardy survivors that the vaunted Sailor Venus descended. She smiled with a vicarious pride before her thoughts were interrupted by the soldier sitting next to her.

The Retainer said in a low voice. "I think I do know why I feel so comfortable here."

"Why is that?" Venus rose into a cross-legged position.

"Because you and your family have always made me feel welcome here. Many of the other nobles don't like to associate with me or my parents."

She shrugged. "It's because of some stupid lineage thing. I've always thought that was a bunch of sanctimonious manure." Venus smiled brightly and patted him on the arm. "Things will change someday, my friend. Until then you will carry on with your customary reserve and legendary tact."

"I will rejoice when that day happens, milady." The Retainer rose and pulled a small watch from his pocket. "I believe your parents wished us to be at dinner soon. Probably should get ready."

"Always the responsible one." Venus rose with a theatrical sigh. "You suck most of the fun from my day."

"My purpose in life, milady." The Retainer flashed a rare smile at her and the two set off for their quarters.

--------------------

"So, you never quite answered my question, Princess Venus."

"Hmm?"

The Retainer grinned. "If you will recall our last meeting, I sensed a bit of fear about you and posed a question. What do you fear? Now, you said you'd answer it next time. It is next time, and I await your answer."

He could have sworn he had seen her shiver. "I was hoping we wouldn't get to that unpleasant topic."

The man shrugged. "We both agreed that it would help if you talked about it. I am a captive audience."

Venus barked out a short laugh before allowing her face to twist into a painful parody of its usual cheeriness. "I'm not sure where to begin. It happened a long time ago.

"I was just a kid then, maybe thirteen then. It was a tough time. Middle school as a whole was a really tough time for me."

"Why is that?"

"Too many changes, physical and otherwise. My dad relocated a couple of times for his work, so we were always on the move. I always felt like I had to grow up a little too fast.

"As a kid, I was always attracted to the occult. Fortunes, zodiacs that sort of thing. And once a man who I cared very deeply about told me my fortune."

As if mesmerized, "And what did that fortune say?"

She paused, the pain etched across her face. "It said that I would never fall in love...that my fate would be to fight forever to find it."

A faint sense of recognition threaded through his eyes. "You were in love with this man?"

Venus replied brittlely. "I loved him with all my heart and soul."

The Retainer peered into Venus's eyes. He was tempted to come to a conclusion quickly...but somehow knew that there was something more to it. "What happened to the man?"

She replied almost more softly than he could hear. "He died in my arms."

He let a sigh escape his lips. "You are afraid that you will never fall in love...and that if you do you will hurt the one you have fallen in love with."

"Yes. No. I don't know anymore." Venus burst into tears. Without quite understanding why, the Retainer moved to scoop her into tight hug and whispered soft exclamations into her ear that everything would be all right.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Kevin yawned and downed a cup of coffee. Motoki observed him for less than five seconds before refilling the cup and remarking, "Bin-kun, you look terrible."

Groggily, "Tell me about it."

"Seriously. You've to go get some rest, my friend."

Kevin sighed. "I have two more exams left and everything is going to hell. I have twenty more pages to write in my research paper and about a week to do it."

"You're leaving in a week?" Motoki almost looked distressed.

"Yeah. Exchange student, remember?" Kevin took another sip of black coffee before laying his head down on the counter.

The blond man laughed aloud. "Keep on forgetting that. You look a lot like you're from around here and I can barely notice your accent these days."

"Becoming a local already? I'm honored."

"Will you be coming back someday?"

"Oh definitely!" Kevin smiled. "With all the friends I've made here and all the things I've seen, I'll be back as soon as I can. Hopefully for a little bit longer than this time."

"We'd love to have you back."

Minako was late that morning, sleeping through her alarm and the entreaties of her mother. She had almost decided to skip breakfast. But an athlete's instincts burned true and she grudgingly decided to stop by the arcade for a quick munch.

She wasn't really in the mood to interact with anyone. Her interlude with the Retainer had opened a Pandora's box of repressed emotion. She drew in her breath and pushed the door open.

Minako had avoided the topic for so long, and it was unseemly that a person who had known her for only a couple of days could have driven to the heart of the topic so quickly. Perhaps it was that he was a stranger, that he had no qualms about upsetting her as fully and as well as he possibly could. She marveled at the ease with which he had dodged her questions and turned them around on her. He was a sly one.

She almost wished that he could have been more of an enemy and less of a big brother. It was too easy to talk to him, much like Kevin had been when they had first met. She knew that she had revealed far too much of herself that night.

Minako rubbed her eyes and moved to sit at the counter. "Orange juice and congee."

Motoki rubbed a glass dry with his towel before nodding. "It'll be ready for you in a moment. You look terrible too, Minako-chan. What's up?"

She waved her hand aimlessly. "No big deal. Just been staying up too late."

He shook his head in disapproval. "You should know better than that!"

"I know. I know." Minako rubbed her eyes. "Just get me my food and I'll go sleep in class."

The blond man sighed in exasperation. "All my friends are children. Am I going to have to monitor your bed times?" Motoki whacked a sleeping man further down on the counter on the head. "Wake up!"

A very disoriented Kevin jackknifed into an upright position and nearly knocked over the stacks of books next to him. "What? Where? I'm awake!"

Motoki sighed and retrieved a boiling pot of coffee from the stove behind him. "I made it extra strong this time, but you really should go get some sleep."

Kevin shook his head and plucked a book off of the top of the stack. "No time. Have to study."

Minako sank a little lower in her seat, hoping that he wouldn't notice her sitting there. Strangely, she felt vaguely unfaithful to the American, as though she had betrayed his trust in some way. She brought her problems to a stranger rather than air them out with someone who was willing to listen to her...who had listened to her nattering idiocies in the past and cherished her for them.

She smiled wistfully. Those were simpler days. She missed them terribly.

Minako stole a glance at Kevin, who seemed to be sleeping on the counter again. His hair was tousled ,and the bags under his eyes betrayed his lack of sleep.

She sighed and shifted over a couple of seats. The kid really needed to be mothered now and then. With a tender smile, she ran her fingers through his mussed hair, trying to bring some semblance of neatness to it. He had never been particularly focused on his looks and now he looked worse than ever. Minako brushed a couple of stray crumbs off of his pants, the remnants of a half eaten biscotti next to him.

As Motoki came back into the room with her breakfast, he gave her a questioning look and a cautious smile. She quickly shifted back a couple of seats and pretended as though nothing had happened.

The blond man gazed at her, a mischievous smile playing over his face. Minako stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled then yelled in Kevin's ear. "Get up!"

Kevin sat bolt straight up. "I'm up, I'm up!"

Motoki leaned on the table in front of the American, glaring at him. "That's the second time you've fallen asleep here. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. Go home and GO TO SLEEP!"

Kevin sighed and began shoving his books in his bag. "Okay, okay. Fine."

Without another word, he walked straight past Minako as if he hadn't seen her

Motoki stared at Kevin's retreating form and shook his head. "Some people just don't know how to take care of themselves."

"He's usually not that bad. It's been a rough week for him. He's going home soon."

"I see." Motoki's eyebrows perked up at that mention. "I talked about it with him...at least until he started babbling incoherently and passed out."

Minako smiled. "I can recall a couple of conversations I've had with him along that vein."

"He's quite a guy. Even after all the times he's come in here and drunk my coffee...I still can't quite get a read on him."

His green eyes flicked to Minako's and that playfully malicious smile crossed over his face again. "So how long have you two been going out?"

Minako hopped back a step, quite a feat given that she was still sitting in her stool. For her effort, she nearly fell out of her seat before sputtering, "What gave you a damn fool idea like that?"

Motoki grinned. "Your reaction alone made it worth fishing in that particular pool."

"Ha, very funny." She was not amused.

He laughed and retrieved Kevin's coffee mug. "So tell me, what's going on between you two?"

"What makes you think that anything is going on?"

The irrepressible Furuhata tapped his temples. "After a long time being the object of a couple of teenage girls' middle school crushes, I tend to notice things like this."

Minako reddened. "You knew?"

"About how you and Usagi obsessed over me for most of middle school? It was difficult to miss." He sighed. "I kept quiet about it because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings."

The girl looked down on the mirror bright countertop and traced her outline in it. "We figured out that you weren't interested when you got a girlfriend. Sort of a clear cut signal."

"Oh yeah. Forgot about that. Heh."

Minako's eyes flashed towards him. "And don't even try that dumb blond thing on me. I invented that."

Motoki chuckled. "But back to the matter at hand..."

The blonde hugged herself. "It's like I said before. Just friends."

"I hear a very large 'but' coming."

She spoke sharply, more so than she intended. "There's no 'but.' We're just friends."

Motoki looked at her for a long moment then moved out from behind the counter and sat next to her. "Look kid, I don't know who you're trying to fool. But I know something is going on. It could be a relationship or it could be a brewing fight. I don't pretend to know the particulars. But something is happening and I sure as hell hope that you resolve it before he leaves. I'd hate for you two to part on a bad note."

Minako's resolve vanished, and she knocked her head against the countertop a couple of times. "We've been having...problems lately."

"What sort of problems?"

"Well, it started a little while ago when he took me to the St. Simon's Charity Ball. Things got a little weird, and we've been hovering in that limbo between 'we're just good friends' and 'is there something more?' for longer than I care to remember.

"It stinks."

The blond man propped his elbows on the counter. "Seems an easy enough problem to solve. Do you have feelings for him?"

She paused for a long moment. "I like him as a friend, I guess. He's a good guy to talk to when you've got a problem." Minako warmed with happy memories shared with Kevin. "I just don't know if I like him like him. And even then, I don't know if he like likes me as opposed to just liking me"

The man sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Can't help you too much with the first part. Second part seems like a simple enough question to answer. All you've got to do is ask him about it. See what he thinks."

Minako barked out a laugh and shook her head. "No way. That would...I couldn't...it's just not an option."

Motoki shrugged. "Never said it would be easy. But you'll get the answers you're looking for."

She scowled and groused, "Why is it that you had to pick the hardest and least pleasant way to solve my problems?"

The blond man twirled a finger around and began to sing softly. "How does that American song go...I beg your pardon/I never promised you a rose garden/along with the sunshine/there's gotta be a little rain sometimes..."

Minako grimaced again before stomping out of the building.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Are you sure that I can't convince you to stay in Japan, Kevin?"

The American shook his head, never letting his eyes leave the screen. "Sorry, Artemis. I'm pretty committed to going back to America."

"But why?"

Kevin spared the time to give Artemis a disbelieving glance. "I don't know...small things I guess. Like family and graduating college."

"Pfft." The cat waved his paw. "Aren't university students supposed to be super independent and all that stuff?"

"Not this one." Kevin flipped through a book and then tapped the quote out. "I like going home. I like my parents. And I haven't seen them for seven months. It's been quite a while."

"Well, a break is coming up...you could easily go see them then. And then come back and stay for another semester or two."

"What about college, Artemis? I can't simply drop all that to live in Tokyo. Not to mention living here is disturbingly expensive."

The cat offered quickly, "Well you could transfer to the University of Tokyo--"

"It's not quite that simple, Artemis." The man sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, I appreciate the sentiment, but I really have to leave."

Artemis stared at him disbelievingly. "You can't leave! There is so much left to do. Have you ever thought what might happen if the enemy comes when you're away?"

Kevin shook his head. "Look, I'm really busy now. Can we talk about this later? I've still got seven pages left to write and I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."

The white cat paused for a moment, then nodded rigidly. "We will talk of this later."

--------------------

Ami waited patiently at the thre -star restaurant, engrossed in 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' by Tom Wolfe. She was wearing a dark blue dress cut off just at the knee over which she had slung a fashionable white jacket. She was a naturally elegant person, exuding the confidence and mystique of a woman far more mature. She had already received several invitations to dine with various male patrons of the restaurant, all of which she had coolly declined.

The choice of the restaurant had been hers, a high-ceilinged faux-French salon with a reputation for wonderful strawberry crepes. She had, perhaps, overdressed for the occasion but admitted that she had to indulge her girlish side now and again.

Ami glanced at her watch then returned to her book. Minako was running a little late it seemed, but all was easily forgiven on a lazy day after exams. Her high school and college end of term exams had both gone very well. Ami had claimed the top scores in her high school exams and had placed in the top ten percent of her college course. To her chagrin, the indomitable Kevin had placed ahead of her by a wide margin, tying for the second highest score in their class of two hundred.

She admitted to herself that she had underestimated the American, never seeing him as a threat until he had clearly outperformed her. Ami supposed that was part of his charm. There was no feeling of false modesty accompanying his victory, no exclamation that he had just gotten lucky this once. He was secure enough in his abilities and intelligence to not feel the need to flaunt it in any way.

Minako trotted into the restaurant and spotted Ami from the entrance. Ami waved languidly at her.

The blonde pranced over and sat down. "Oh lah lah. You're looking nice today!"

Ami shrugged. "I was just in that sort of mood." She grinned. "I heard you did pretty well on your exams."

The blonde betrayed a quiet grin. "Third in the class. I was surprised too."

Her friend leaned over, tapped Minako on the forehead, and smiled. "Told you there was more going on in that blond head than you were willing to admit."

She laughed. "I had a little help in the matter."

"That in no way diminishes your accomplishment." Ami paused for a moment. "How is Kevin doing?"

Minako shrugged. "Don't know. I haven't really had a good conversation with him for a while. I suppose he's doing okay."

"He's been under a lot of stress lately. What with tutoring and juku...he's been a real wreck."

"Hmm."

Ami reached out to retrieve a glass of water. She relished the condensation on its rim before replying softly. "Now, that doesn't sound much like an answer to me."

Sharply., "Well, what am I supposed to say? That I'll go and cheer him up? He's an adult. He can manage."

"I see. I take it that the outstanding problems with Bin-kun haven't been resolved?"

"Nope." Minako sighed. "We've just drifted apart. I don't know what went wrong, Ami-chan. We were so good."

"You can still be good. It's not like anything has changed. You're still the same people. You just have one more complication to deal with."

"The rift is too big, Ami-chan. I wish we could just go back to what we had. I wish I had listened to my own advice and skipped that ball." She paused for a moment then smiled goofily. "I wish."

Sympathetically, the senshi of water reached out to grab her friend's hand. "I know."

Minako sighed. "He actually wants to go out tomorrow night. Wants to say goodbye."

"One more chance to make amends?"

"I don't know if I even want to go, Ami-chan. It's just such a messy situation...and there are so many things that I need to say to him."

"Like what?"

"Like..." Minako's voice trailed off and her face twisted into a pained expression. "To ask him what went wrong with us. To ask how we could let something so small wreck everything we had. To ask him why we haven't talked and why we aren't friends anymore. To ask him to make me laugh again. To apologize...for not being the friend I should have been."

Ami smiled. "That's beautiful. But I'm not the one you should be saying it to.

"Just talk to him. Everything will work out."

--------------------

Kevin sipped at a Japanese energy drink, a subtle acknowledgment that coffee no longer worked at waking him up. As things went, he felt comparatively good. A quick transformation had restored calm to his shattered nerves and was now helping him power through the last bits of the paper ahead of him. Now that exams were over, he could afford to devote his entire attention to his paper. He had managed to churn out five more pages over the past couple of hours and only had the last pages of the conclusion to batter out.

In retrospect, he hadn't really needed to go all out on this one. Sixty pages was pretty excessive, even for a study abroad project. He admitted that he had attacked this one with more than his usual zeal to isolate himself from the more difficult questions in his life.

He sighed and tapped out a few more words. Try as he might, he could not bring himself to like conflict. Something in his nature forbade him from engaging in confrontation, pushing him to seek compromise and consensus rather than carnage. Even when joining his high school debate, he had shied away from the more combative forms of debate and had specialized in oratory and individualist speech events. It was a character flaw, he realized, but one he could not easily abandon.

Perhaps Artemis had seen it best. The cat's words were infused with a machismo spirit which inspired him to take charge and fight through life. Kevin appreciated that Artemis had taken the time to cultivate him in that manner. Timidity is a great weakness in a warrior.

The only other who had changed him as much as the cat was Minako. Kevin grimaced. He had clearly failed there. Minako was his friend, one of the best he had ever had. The blond girl had understood him like few had, worming into his psyche and trying to figure out how he worked. She had forced him to experience Japan fully and for that small favor he would be forever grateful. He was offended by the pettiness of the issue that had come between them and was shocked that it had grown so large.

He resolved to make amends in any way he could and accept any costs it might incur.

Kevin glanced at the clock on his nightstand then stood up to stretch. He had a meeting for later that night. It would not do to be late.

--------------------

Sailor Venus walked up from behind him, making no effort to mask the sharp sounds of her heels hitting the concrete. "Hey you."

The man turned and a smile sprang onto his face. "Evening, ma'am. How are you doing this evening?"

"Fine. Just fine. And you?"

"I have been better." The Retainer smiled. "Then again, I have been far worse."

"That's good." Venus sidled up next to him and stared out over the cityscape. "It's a beautiful night."

"It is. This city is so vibrant, so alive. Even at this time of night."

She nodded and laughed softly. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the view."

"I don't think I'll have that chance."

Venus looked at her partner and a strain of concern ran through her voice. "You're leaving?"

The man nodded. "I am. In a couple of days."

"That's too bad..." She smiled. "I kinda wish I had the chance to get to know you better."

The Retainer glanced at her mischievously. "What? No exclamation that I shouldn't leave? No lassoing me with that chain of yours?"

Venus giggled. "Nope. None of that. Just a little sadness that you'll be gone soon."

"Then thanks, milady. I'll miss you when I'm gone."

"We'll be seeing each other again. I'm sure of it."

The man shot an amused glance at her. "How can you be so sure?"

Venus replied with a twinkle in her eye and a wistful happiness in her voice. "Oh I just have this feeling we'll be bumping into one another. Just call it a feeling."


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The soldier entered the inner chamber, filled with the oddest premonition of dread. He kept his stolen sword near him. He barely knew how to use to the stupid thing, but it made him feel better nonetheless.

Serenity's audience chamber was a relatively simple affair, bereft of the gaudy decoration or the visible displays of wealth evident in other rooms of the palace. It spoke to the queen's elegant sensibilities. The high ceilings were carved from gray lunar rock, as had been the walls and the floor. A majestic throne faced the back wall, which had been opened up to a brilliant panoramic view

Yet even with the elegance it displayed, the room was shockingly bare. Aside from the throne, there was only one more chair and a desk separating them. Serenity would often retreat to this chambers when harried with official work.

The solitude was oppressive. It was the room of a woman who wielded great power and knew that responsibility for its use lay solely in her hands. The Eternal Queen had been known to go into periods of brooding, never straying from this chamber. The Retainer supposed it had something to do with the fact that she knew not whether her successor would possess the foresight and compassion that she did.

It was within these penultimate chambers that the soldier found the last of the senshi. Sailor Venus lay sprawled next to Serenity's throne, her hair askew and streaked with the blood of human soldier and youma alike.

Venus had fought on valiantly, taking hundreds of the enemy with her in a final frenzied stand. Her attacks had carved deep scars into the rock walls, bisecting hundreds of enemy soldiers with her concentrated Crescent Beam. For those who had managed to dodge out of the way, Venus had moved in on them like a reaper among grain, slicing them down with her vaunted Love Me chain.

He knelt next to her body and rolled her over. Her final moments had been ones of intense and unrelenting fear...he could see that much in her eyes. Venus's hands were clenched over her stomach, trying to stanch the flow of blood from a deep stomach wound. Her attacker had thrust it in casually, lingering there for only a moment before tearing the blade free. There was no precision to the attack, only brute force. The Retainer shivered.

A cool voice called from across the room. "I take it you knew her."

The Retainer's twisted his head around, searching for the one who had spoken. A man wearing the officer's uniform of Beryl's army strode into the room. His long white hair fell luxuriously across his shoulders, obscuring the general's epaulets he wore. A cape fluttered casually behind him, and he clenched a blood stained ice blade in his hand.

The Retainer stood and carefully prepared his own weapon. "I did."

The man laughed and purposefully began to circle the Lunarian soldier. "Pity. She put up a good fight."

"Then I have you to thank for this?"

"Indeed." The man managed a generous grin then began to approach the soldier with a smooth competence bordering on arrogance. "I imagine you'll be joining her soon enough."

The Retainer eyed his opponent before sparing a glance down at his fallen friend. He gulped softly and whispered underneath his breath. "Rest easy, my friend. I won't be long."

--------------------

Minako brushed her hair out into its full golden brilliance, keeping a careful eye out for any strands that might escape. It was a task that she performed daily, but today she paid special attention to her looks.

She tried to convince herself it was not a date, that it was a simple outing between friends. But, though the methodology had changed, the ugly word still loomed at the front of her consciousness. She sighed. Minako desperately hoped for a resolution: good, bad, or whatever.

She returned her attention to the mirror and continued to examine her reflection for any flaws.

Primping was a surface manifestation of the brutally Darwinian dating process. It was a way for females to combat their disadvantages within the hormonally driven world of sex. No less a figure than famous medical anthropologist Jared Diamond noted that while the male of the species can reproduce with many of the opposite gender in relative simultaneity, the female must carry the baby to term and is therefore stuck with a single mate for a relatively long period of time. If one assumes that all creatures want to propagate their genetic lines, evolution dictates two diverging impulses. On the male part, the urge is to mate with as many females as possible to ensure genetic continuation in a sort of carnal diversification strategy. On the female end, the contribution of time is far greater and the premium is placed on finding the most genetically superior male possible rather than a multitude of partners.

In the past couple hundred thousand years, Homo sapiens sapiens found a relatively civilized way to reconcile these urges through the evolution of polygamy. However, the more recent advent of philosophical morality has swung the pendulum clearly in the female's favor through a strong selective process called dating and an artificial common-law practice known as marriage. However, the larger commitment is still on the part of the female, and it is in her interests to pick her subject as carefully as possible.

Hence the primping.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, preparing for a date she didn't want to go on. But, she reflected with a wry smile, it was a necessary evil. She wanted more than anything for him to be her friend again.

Idly, her mind had begun to wander. She recalled a very late Saturday evening spent with Bin-kun watching some random American sitcom marathon on television. At the time, she had been rather enthralled with the show and amazed at how quickly everything managed to resolve itself. A broken friendship forgotten by the end of an episode. An infidelity? A tasteless, if amusing irrelevancy.

She sighed softly and wondered why she couldn't have a team of cooperative script writers dictating her life.

It was on that thought her ruminations were interrupted by the ring of a doorbell.

--------------------

Kevin reached out to press the door buzzer. An inch away, his hand froze. As though it had offended him, he shoved it back into the pocket and stared morosely at the wooden entryway. There was something about the date that seemed terribly wrong.

To him, dating was a life-affirming act, the romantic dance of mating. Even though he was somewhat awkward at it, Kevin could appreciate the opportunity to meet someone new and exciting and maybe even connect with someone on a deeper level.

This one resembled more the mangled victims of a car crash rushed into the ER. All either party hoped for was survival; any cosmetic issues were irrelevant in the short run.

He had fretted over this date like he had few others. Originally, he had planned to go in a suit and tie to impart exactly how serious he was about reconciliation. But, upon more careful reflection, he had scratched that idea. He didn't want to be formal anymore, didn't want anything to get in the way of cool, honest conversation.

So he dressed down. A dress shirt and nice slacks. It was formal enough to gain admittance to most restaurants in the city, casual enough for Minako to remember who he was.

He had wondered whether to get her flowers and the night before had actually opted not to. It would be perceived as too romantic a gesture, and that was literally the last thing he wanted to convey. However, on his way over, he had spotted a flower vendor on the sidewalk selling daisies by the dozen.

Kevin hadn't seen a daisy since leaving America, yet he could think of no better a flower to give Minako. They were bright, friendly, and clearly conveyed a 'we're just friends' ethic.

Before he could rationalize anymore, he mashed his finger down on the doorbell and steeled himself for the confrontation.

--------------------

Artemis spied on the two from the top of the stairs, trying to fight down the deep welling of dread building up in his throat. It was Kevin's last night in Japan and he still had not convinced the young man to abandon his return to America.

That Kevin could so easily forsake the cause disturbed him deeply. He had thought the American would recognize the importance of a forward, proactive defense of the world. The boy had been good as a guard, ensuring that there was not too much serious malfeasance going on in the streets. Artemis had no doubt that he would have proved himself in battle as well.

The Retainer of Serenity's family was a battle-hardened fighter and an able practitioner of the deadlier magical arts. The cat placed a lot of faith in Kevin, and now the kid was ready to flee Japan because of some sentimental attraction to America.

Why couldn't the kid realize that Tokyo was his home now and he had the duty to defend it to the death?

Artemis straightened and bounded into Minako's bedroom. He climbed onto a windowsill and then leaped onto a nearby tree branch. He couldn't take any more chances. He had to convince Kevin to stay in Tokyo. No matter what.

--------------------

"Hey you." Kevin half smiled. "You're very beautiful tonight."

Minako reddened and unconsciously tried to smooth out the folds in her skirt. "Thank you."

It was the wrong comment to make, as it gave the wrong message to Minako. But try as he might, Kevin couldn't ignore the fact that she was terribly lovely. The spring night was abnormally warm enough that she had managed to slip on a white mini-skirt over which she threw a silk tee-shirt and jean jacket. One part of him wanted to order her to change and come out in something more presentable. The other part wanted simply enjoy the view.

He chuckled and rubbed his eyes. What was with him tonight? Those annoying feelings had never cropped up before...he had no reason to believe that he felt any different about Minako now. Yet there was something entrancing about her that he could not explain.

Perhaps it was because he had only one more night to spend in Japan and she had been the one constant light throughout his time in Japan. Whether responding to Artemis's insane demands or figuring out how to continue his academic research without an academician guiding him, he could always count on Minako to try to cheer him with a laugh and a smile.

He was a little surprised when he realized that he'd miss her much more than he missed Japan.

It was a little while before he noticed that the silence was getting awkward. "So, where did you want to eat?"

Minako looked at him with a betrayed look. "You mean you didn't make reservations?"

Kevin was not about to be browbeaten and replied smoothly. "I made several reservations. I didn't know what you were in the mood for."

She smiled and poked him playfully in the ribs. "Typical Bin-kun. Plans out everything to a fault. Whatever happened to spontaneity and working outside of the plan?"

"Gotta have a plan before you work outside of it." They both laughed. "But seriously, what's your fancy tonight?"

"Well, not the place we went to...last time." Minako skirted the name in clear attempt to not give those memories power. "Some place where we can splurge. I want to eat a lot tonight."

"On my tab, of course," Kevin jested softly.

"Of course!" Minako giggled.

"You know, it's rare for me to hear that a girl actually wants to eat on a date. Usually they're too conscious about impressing me."

"Impress you? Who would want to impress you?" Minako softened the retort with a smile.

Kevin offered her his arm and twirled his finger in the air. "You'd be surprised at all the crazy people that are out there."

She threaded her arm through his and rolled her eyes. "Do tell. Do tell."

--------------------

Kevin guided them to a brassy, authentically loud Italian restaurant. The proprietor was a Roman expatriate who had decided that the Italian food in Japan was roundly terrible and decided to go into business making his own. It was an unmitigated success. Legions of homesick Americans and Europeans descended on the restaurant every night to gorge on wonderful homemade pastas, sauces, Neapolitan pizzas, and a multitude of other Italian delicacies.

In spite of her worries, Minako was having a genuinely good time. She had managed to fake the server into giving her the wine list, from which Kevin had selected an excellent California chardonnay. When she had objected to the price, he had dismissed her concerns and had intimated that since it was his last night in Japan he was going to live it up.

Besides, where was the juku money going to be spent?

"So where have you been the past couple of weeks? I haven't seen you around much except during tutoring, and we don't really do much talking then."

Kevin took a sip of wine and grinned rakishly around the rim of the glass. "What, did you miss me?"

Minako rolled her eyes again and clasped at her heart. "Yes, dear Kevin. For you see, I'm madly in love with you and want you to be the father of my love child." She reached across the table a whacked him on the arm. "Of course I missed you...you dope!"

"Heheh." Kevin leaned back in his chair. "Just been really busy writing my paper and figuring out exams."

"I know how it feels. I had them too." Minako blurted out excitedly, "Hey I didn't tell you. Guess what?"

Kevin rested his chin on his palm. "What?"

"I got third highest in the class on my English exam!"

"Hey! That's wonderful." He grinned merrily. "I'm really proud of you!"

She paused and looked down at the table. "Well, I got it because of your tutoring."

"Pshaw." He waved off the compliment easily. "You took the test, not me."

"Still." The blonde reached out and took his hand from across the table. "Thank you so much."

The American nodded modestly. "The pleasure was all mine."

Minako released him, the lingering sense of unease buried underneath the warmth in her cheeks. She had almost forgotten what it was like hanging around him, how wonderfully easy it was to become his friend and talk to him forever. She wondered how she could have even assumed that he had any untoward intentions?

Kevin stared at her intently, concerned at her silence. She was about to make an excuse when the food arrived, obviating the need to make more idle conversation.

--------------------

Artemis was perched from a nearby tree branch, struggling to make out his charges through the smoky of the restaurant window. Giving up in exasperation, the cat contented himself with lying on the branch and wondering if the restaurant served fish. It was getting past his dinnertime, and he really could have used a fish head to brighten up his evening.

At this point, the chances of keeping Kevin in Japan were looking slim unless he took some drastic action.

Through Minako?

Artemis revised his earlier assessment of the situation. He needed those two together, for her to serve as his anchor to Japan. Kevin might return to college for a year, but with a girlfriend in Japan he would inevitably return. He would probably take a job in Japan and make a new life for himself.

Artemis supposed that the kid might miss his family, but as far as he was concerned Minako was a damned good consolation prize.

He was nearly jolted from his precarious seating when Minako and Kevin exited the restaurant and headed for the park. He looked around wildly for a solution, then spotted a group of young men in ties and suits each carrying samurai swords. Likely a yakuza hit squad off to enforce a little bit of mob law.

The idea struck him and he toppled off of the branch, barely managing to catch himself with his front paws. It might just be crazy enough to work.

Stretching out with his magical powers of persuasion, he infused an idea into their minds which caused them to turn around and head for the park.

Artemis scaled down the tree carefully and then awaited his chance.


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The park was only a short walk from the restaurant, located across a busy thoroughfare. Unlike most Japanese parks, it was not integrated with its surroundings in the slightest. Rather, iy was surrounded by a row of dense hedges, specifically designed to block out unwanted noise and intrusions.

Upon entering, one was confronted by a fairly typical Japanese park with neatly trimmed plants and aesthetically pleasing placements of water and bridges.

Yet there was an otherworldly aspect to this place. Here one could feel truly secluded from the outside world, shut off from the lights and perpetual hustle and bustle of Tokyo. It was a place for honest reflection and good conversations, away from life itself.

The two walked slowly, soaking up each other's presence as well as they could. Each of them felt the urgency of the moment, knew that it was their last night together, and were content with it all the same. Through a concerted effort on both sides, they had recaptured the essence of friendship that had eluded them so.

"Minako-chan, I have a question."

--------------------

Minako froze for an instant, then forced herself to calm down. He wasn't the sort to go through all the trouble of becoming her friend again to screw it up. "Yes, Bin-kun?"

Kevin betrayed a silly grin. "How did we ever manage to screw this up, Minako-chan? We had such a good thing going."

She leaned on his shoulder and said, "Keep talking."

"I mean, the ball that night. A bunch of trivial things happened. And let's face it, neither of us acted particularly mature about it, you know? We're still not really acting all that mature about it."

She let out a sigh, then complemented it with a wry smile. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm acting very mature."

"Fine, you're the exception." Kevin forced out a chuckle. "It's just that I don't want anything to screw us up more than we are already."

She breathed out gently. "So what are you saying?"

"So, would it be a bad thing if we were friends again? I mean...I'd like to be your friend again."

Minako crossed in front of him and enfolded him in a gigantic hug. "Whatever made you think that you had stopped, you big silly?"

He sputtered, "Well, I thought...the ignoring each other--"

"Sometimes friends don't quite understand each other as much as they should. That being said, I am and always have been your friend and I'm going to really miss you when you leave."

Kevin lolled his head back and let out a relieved guffaw. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I mean, hearing all that just puts me at ease."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

He continued, giggling nervously, "I mean, imagine what it would be like if we actually liked each other. That would really just screw things up...wouldn't it?"

Minako half smiled to herself and hugged him closer. "I wouldn't go quite that far."

"Hmm?" Kevin's body tensed suddenly as if steeling himself for something. She was about to tease him about his jumpy nerves, but that train of thought was broken by the sharp crack of metal on concrete.

Minako drifted away from Kevin slowly to get a better view. Three well dressed men obstructed the pathway to the exit. Each of them held a samurai sword in their hands and, in the pale moonlight, Minako could make out that one of them was missing the tip of his pinky.

A dark chill wormed its way into Minako's gut as the word yakuza reverberated through her mind. Instinctively, she shied behind Kevin.

The leader of the trio called out. "Such a touching moment. I hate to break it up."

Kevin replied in a cool and clear voice. "All will be forgiven if you would let us finish it in peace."

The yakuza member favored Kevin with a ghastly smile. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

The American took a step back. His voice turned hard. "Oh? Then to what do we owe this pleasure?"

"I believe I have to relieve you of certain items of value."

The night suddenly felt cold. "And what are those items, pray tell?"

The criminal grinned again, a darkly frightening look. "Your wallet and the girl will do."

Kevin pushed Minako even further behind him and responded smoothly but with a clear undertone of cold fury. "I'm afraid that's not possible. The wallet I can part with...but the girl has a will of her own."

Devilishly, "I am sure you can persuade her to give us an hour or so of her time. Otherwise, she'll have to mourn over your body and that would just ruin the moment."

Minako uttered softly, "Kevin..."

In a low voice. "Minako-chan, I want you to run."

"But--"

Kevin turned his head and yelled, "Do it!"

She was jolted out of her lethargy and began to sprint away as fast as her legs would take her.

--------------------

"A pity." The leader took a purposeful step towards Kevin. "It's a wasted effort you know. There's only one exit from this park and we control it. I'm not sure what you were trying to accomplish. No matter."

The yakuza motioned to his compatriots. The silvery gleam of three swords betrayed themselves in the dark, giving Kevin a frame a reference from which to spot them. He began to move back slowly, trying to keep all of them in his peripheral vision.

The modern Japanese yakuza finds its roots back the Meiji period of Japan, when a newly formed central government had disbanded the samurai caste. The samurai, unable to support themselves without the feudal structure of the earlier Edo period, began to band together into organized crime groups specializing in extortion, prostitution, and shadow business operations. Their long history conferred a semi-legal status upon the yakuza, allowing them to operate with formal offices, websites, and business cards. It was an unusually civilized crime organization that usually did not deal in theft or murder.

That knowledge was not particularly comforting. The first came, sword raised high to bisect him from head to toe. It was the sign of an inexperienced swordsman and Kevin gladly obliged him. Stepping into the man's swing, he slammed his palm into the attacker's solar plexus. The yakuza member jumped back a step, nearly collapsing from the blow.

Kevin half smiled then turned to the other two. As they fearlessly charged at him, the Retainer dipped his hand into his pocket and lifted a silver wand high into the air.

"Lunar Mage Power...Make Up!"

--------------------

"Damn him and his goddamned male ego!"

Minako hadn't run far, only enough to get out of view before doubling back. She passed behind a dense clump of trees and then crouched down to get a better view of the action.

She didn't know what sort of stupid self-sacrificing notions he was entertaining, but she simply wouldn't have it. Not when she could save him.

Kevin gracefully beat back the first opponent, sending him reeling to the ground with a well placed blow. Minako hadn't known that he had had that sort of gumption in him, but it was increasingly clear that he couldn't hold it up forever.

'Hold on Kevin.' She rummaged quickly through her purse, searching for her henshin stick. Ten seconds later, she lifted it triumphantly in the air.

"Venus..." Her voice trailed off abruptly as Kevin lifted his own hand in the air, holding some glittering silver object. He screamed an unfamiliar phrase and then the world exploded around him.

--------------------

The blade came down swiftly, slicing through the air like a laser through warm butter. The Retainer simply stepped out of the way, dancing back three steps into relative safety.

His three antagonists stared at him with utter disbelief. One of them turned sheet white, as though he had seen a ghost. The Retainer never gave them as chance to recover.

As Kevin, he was fast and reasonably strong for his size. A third degree brown belt in Shaolin Kenpo gave him a decent mastery of hand-to-hand combat. In sparring matches, his opponents had often marveled at his ability to evade and dodge menacing attacks. Kevin had gained a lot of weight since the last time he had fought someone, competitively or otherwise, but still was a competent fighter when called upon. Against three swords though, he was woefully outmatched.

As the Retainer, he had taken those skills to another level. He was faster, harder, and leaner than he had ever been before. He smiled. "You've had your fun. It's my turn now."

The Retainer moved like quicksilver to the one who had attacked him first. The man clumsily tried to dodge the soldier by jumping to the side.

The Retainer didn't miss a beat as he grabbed hold of the man's with his psionic powers and tossed him casually at stout oak twenty feet away. The yakuza flailed pitifully for a moment, before smashing into the rock-hard tree at seventy miles per hour. At such a speed, his bones liquefied underneath the pressure of the blow. He bounced off the bark and rolled onto his back.

The next one charged at him, wielding the sword like a spear. The yakuza let loose a wild battle cry, struggling to confuse and bewilder his opponent long enough to gut him with the weapon. Against a human, the ruse might have worked.

But the Retainer did not consider himself a man any longer. He sidestepped the blade and trapped it between his open palms, stopping the yakuza's pell-mell charge. With a slight twist of the hips, the Retainer snapped the blade like he might a twig, then pivoted to slash viciously at his attacker's neck. The yakuza fell to the ground a spray of blood issuing forth with every heartbeat.

The Retainer closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. It was a long ten seconds before his eyes flicked open. As they focused on the final yakuza, the leader of the bunch, a spark of malevolence ran through the Retainer's eyes.

The leader shivered perceptibly and accidentally dropped his sword on the ground. He moved as though he were about to pick it up, but then caught a glance of the Retainer's eyes. The yakuza slowly backed away and then began sprinting for the exit. He almost made it.

The Retainer flipped the shard of bloodstained sword he carried in his hand and then hurled it with all his might at the fleeing man. It blasted through the retreating criminal's back with terrible accuracy and out the front of his chest, tearing a hole in the man's right lung. The criminal died a terrible gurgling death, pink froth issuing from his mouth with every breath.

The Retainer grinned fiercely and turned his head up to sky in a bloodthirsty glare. The full moon bathed his face in clean, white light. With each panting breath, his lungs burned and the adrenaline that had hijacked his system bled away. He blinked then unsteadily leaned against a nearby post. His hands trembled as the ill begotten energy fled his body. Every ache and pain was magnified one hundred fold, completing his descent from more than a man to less than one. His eyes darted to the moon, seeking to draw from its energy and strength, but this time the light was accusatory. His entire body shuddered and he fell to one knee.

'My God, my God. What have I done?'

He had barely time to process that thought when he heard a single voice call out to him softly. "Bin-kun?"

--------------------

Who was this demon? Her eyes flicked to the three mutilated bodies strewn across the park, a deep guttural horror chilling her heart. Minako stared at them for a long second before her mind stiffened into dark resolve.

Her hand slipped instinctively into her purse, grasping for the henshin stick. The Retainer was even more powerful than she had anticipated. But, Sailor Venus had bested him before and would do so again. His telekinetic powers would make her job a little more difficult, but she doubted he could stand up to the full force of a senshi attack. Minako thrust the wand in the air, preparing to do battle.

She stopped. The Retainer wove unsteadily, each breath sounding like a drowning man's last gasp for air. She hadn't noticed it before, but he was suffering terribly from his act. There were no warning bells of threat emanating from him, just a sense of vulnerability. Her mouth curved into an unpleasant grimace and her heart of ice cracked just a bit.

He had shown her mercy when she had displayed vulnerability to him. She owed him the same courtesy.

Minako crossed the distance between them, squinting at him through the darkness. The similarity was subtle, but extraordinary. She shook her head slightly, then stared harder trying to penetrate the disguise magic that molded her friend's features.

She reached out hesitantly to touch his face, feeling the contours with the tips of her fingers. "So it is you."

In that instant, the Retainer stopped being a hero and once again became the Kevin she knew and loved. The moment self-doubt injected itself into the Retainer's imperturbable features, her suspicions were confirmed. The transformation magic slowly began to undo itself around him.

His hands were trembling uncontrollably, but his voice was clear if weary. "How did you know?"

Her heart melted. "I saw you transform." Minako reached out to take his hands. They were ice cold, as if the blood had suddenly rushed out of them. She whispered softly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't." Kevin shook his head, on the verge of slipping into delirium. "I still can't. I don't want to do this anymore."

She rubbed her hands against his, trying to impart some warmth into them. "Don't do what? Keep speaking to me Kevin."

He unsteadily stood up before weaving away from her like a drunk. He mumbled something unintelligible before screaming out to some unseen antagonist. "I don't want to do this anymore, you son of a bitch!"

Minako ran over to him and wrapped him in her arms. He sobbed uncontrollably and whispered into her hair. "I don't want to. Not anymore."

A voice came from next to them. "But you must continue on, Retainer."

The girl turned her head to see Artemis standing next to them. "Artemis!"

The cat ignored her gasp of surprise. Kevin's eyes blearily tried to focus on him. Drunkenly, "I quit Artemis. I can't do this anymore."

"If it were within my power to release you, Retainer, I would. I would grant you your freedom. It's unfair to ask you or anyone else to assume the burden you have taken."

Artemis's voice became stronger. "But you were chosen because you are the only one with the strength and fortitude to hold on."

Kevin shook his head tiredly. "Why me...why now?"

"Could you have truly accepted your responsibility before? Could I have told you what was required without you seeing it for yourself?"

The American screamed at him, "I killed them!"

Artemis nearly shouted back, "You did your job! Your duty is to the people of this world, from the people that you meet on the street to the princess who holds you in her arms!"

Minako said warningly, "Artemis--"

He cut her off neatly, "No, Minako-chan, it is time we came clean. Kevin, the woman who holds you tonight is Sailor Venus, the senshi of love. Your lover and soul mate of a thousand generations ago."

Minako recoiled suddenly. "What?"

"Don't tell me you haven't seen it, Minako-chan. He is the first one you've ever been able to get close to, the one who would return your affection with a joyful heart.

"And now he has saved you from the clutches of those who would have harmed you. You are joined by the bonds of love, something that cannot be cut...not by a thousand swords or a thousand years' separation or even death itself.

"Look into his eyes, Minako-chan, and tell me that you do not feel that way."

She stared at the cat for a moment, struggling to understand what he was saying then searching her soul for the feelings she held for Kevin. She rubbed her arm nervously, and slowly uncovered a tiny knot of attraction for the America. Minako smiled and, for the first time, allowed it to work its way to the front of her consciousness. She had always known that she was attracted to him, but had never let it develop much more than that. She wondered if that was even possible...if she could allow herself to try and be with him.

And within her, the answer was a tiny yes. A deep blush worked its way to the surface as she contemplated that thought with a timid smile. There really wasn't any doubt about it. They were...always had been attracted to each other. Artemis was right...the news simply confirmed it. Minako turned to confess her feelings to him and to gauge his reaction to the news.

For the first time that conversation, Kevin's eyes were lucid, anger threading through them for all to see.

--------------------

Kevin hissed venomously, "Liar!"

Artemis recoiled suddenly. "What did you say? How can you say that?"

The American laughed derisively. "All too easily, my friend."

The cat gathered up a great deal of self-possession. "This is preposterous! Everything I have said is nothing but the truth! You were the consort of Lady Venus. It is to her that you owe your allegiance. I kept this knowledge from you because I was afraid that it might interfere with your mission for Earth. I should know, I remember."

Kevin shook his head. "It is a wonderful story, Artemis. I wish I could believe it."

"And why shouldn't you?"

He replied with poisonous clarity, "Because of what I remember."

Artemis waved a paw dismissively. "No, I'm sure your memories are incomplete."

With a deadly softness, "Be silent and let me finish."

Surprisingly, Artemis shut up. Kevin began to pace in vigorous circles, as if trying to get a handle on the thoughts in his mind. "I can't believe I didn't see it all before. Everything makes so much sense."

His voice got a little softer. "You see, Artemis, I too remember the Silver Millenium--"

"Then you will know that it is exactly as I say--"

"No, Artemis." The man's voice grew hard. "We were never soul mates. There was no love to be shared between us. I know...I have seen that that is the truth."

Artemis began to sound almost whiny. "It is exactly as I say. You two were meant to be together."

Kevin roared, "Don't peddle your lies to me, Artemis! I know the truth now!" He let a pregnant pause fill the air and shuddered ungracefully. "There is nothing for me here. There never was."

And with that parting thought, he turned and left.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The day dawned warm and bright, a fitting finale to his time in Japan. Kevin had seen entirely too many rainy days and dark nights, and the irony of the moment killed him.

The concourse was dead quiet at seven in the morning, with employees of the airport vastly outnumbering the sparsely spread out customers. Kevin had stopped by a newsstand to pick up a copy of the International Herald Tribune.

The IHT started as a joint venture between the New York Times and the Washington Post to create a newspaper catering specifically towards American expatriates around the world. For an international newspaper, it carried surprisingly in-depth United States reporting, taking articles from its two parent papers across the world. And perhaps most attractively, it had a good enough sports page to satisfy any nut who needed a daily football or hockey fix in the morning.

Kevin hadn't been keeping up with the home teams during his time in Japan and felt somewhat guilty about it. He had heard vague rumors that the Boston Red Sox had managed to win the World Series, but that couldn't be right.

He tucked the paper underneath his arm and moseyed on towards the lounge next to his departure gate. It was a long moment before he realized that someone was calling out to him.

"Sir, sir!" The clerk from the newsstand jogged up from behind him. "You forgot your change!"

Kevin was surprised. "Oh! Thank you very much. I guess I was distracted."

"Not at all, sir. Have a good day!" With military precision, the young woman turned around and jogged away.

Kevin stared after her, then numbly shoved the cash into his pocket and continued on. He searched the monitors, eventually locating his flight and settling down to read the paper. It was a full ten minutes before he realized that his eyes were simply refusing to focus on the words on the pages.

He sighed and folded his arms, intending to sleep. If he could not calm his churning mind with written word, he would stave it off with sleep. Kevin had almost fallen asleep, when he was interrupted by a polite cough.

A female voice addressed him softly, "Am I interrupting anything, Bin-kun?"

Kevin wearily opened his eyes and fixed them upon a pair of blue eyes. Ami stared at him with mild concern mixed with amusement. "Ami-chan!"

She shook her head and placed her bag down on the floor before sitting next to him. "Leaving without saying goodbye? I would have thought more of you, Kevin."

The American rubbed his eyes remorsefully. "Yeah well, I would have made it over, but things got in the way."

"So I have been told." Ami rubbed her right arm absently. "Still, you will be missed, Bin-kun. Remember the friends you made here."

"I will." Kevin closed his eyes. "But I'm still surprised that you braved an early morning to come see me."

Almost coldly, "I don't think I would have had I not received a request last night."

"A request," Kevin repeated softly.

Ami leaned down, picked up her bag, and gently placed it on her lap. A white cat popped out of the bag and languidly moved to sit on Kevin's armrest.

Immediately, the man's voice took on an unprecedented coldness. "Hello, Artemis."

The cat replied slowly, "Hello, Retainer."

Kevin's eyes flicked back to Ami, processing the new information. She did not seem particularly perturbed by the situation, indicating that she had a deeper knowledge than he had originally assumed. He filed that information away for later analysis. "Don't call me that."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Kevin. My real name."

Artemis sighed and seemed to shrink into himself. "Regardless of what you say or do or want...you will always be the Retainer of Serenity's family. It would be for the best if you actually accepted that."

Kevin shook his head. "It is not the position or the title I am averse to...but what I have become in order to assume it."

"You have become more than I could have hoped for, Kevin."

The American replied smoothly. "Artemis, yesterday I killed three men in the prime of their life. I felt them writhing in my hands and knew that I had the power to crush them. And when I had the chance, I did."

"That is the power you hold in your hands. You were given the power to defend humanity from whatever crises it is faced with. You are responsible for its use and I trust you with it still."

Emotionlessly, "Then why did I kill them? I could have easily stopped them, incapacitated them, left them for the police to take care of."

"They deserved everything that they got. You did not start that fight, Kevin."

"But I responded with force that I knew was wrong. No one deserves to die in such a way." He stopped. "I killed them because I could. Because it was easy.

"But what was most frightening was the fact that deep down in my heart...I wanted them to die. I wanted to crush them, to feel that thrill of power coursing through my veins."

The cat waved his paw dismissively. "I'm sure that was not the case--"

Kevin cut him off easily. "Do not presume to know how I think. It is an arrogance unbecoming even of you."

He spared a glance at Ami before continuing. Her expression was blank, but her eyes were alert, soaking up each detail of the conversation. He imagined that it would be recounted to Minako at some point, a thought which made him wince. The cat's back arched, but Kevin pushed on. "So be silent and let me finish. To be frank, I don't trust myself with these powers Artemis. They tempt me; they seduce me into actions that I would not normally take. I can't do it anymore. I don't want to sacrifice my sanity every time I transform and be reminded of the inferiority of my human form every time I transform back."

Artemis leaped onto the American's chest, digging his claws into the man's clothing. He hissed, "Don't be such a selfish, fucking child! I can't believe that you are willing to sacrifice this world to satisfy some petty moral concern. There are enemies coming and you're going to sit out because you don't feel like fighting. You goddamned traitor!"

In a single motion, Kevin slid his arm underneath the cat and flung him against the nearby row of seats. Artemis twisted gracefully in the air and managed to land on his feet without injury. The man replied poisonously. "There are no enemies, Artemis. I can see that now. A year has passed, with nothing more than the occasional pickpocket.

"I refuse to mortgage my life to become a pawn in your petty fantasies, Artemis."

The cat looked like he was about to leap at Kevin again, when Ami scooped him into her arms and cradled him gently but firmly. He wriggled around futilely, but eventually gave up in exhaustion.

Kevin nodded. "Thank you, Ami-chan."

"Not at all. I just don't think it would be a good idea to let one of my friends slice and dice the other."

"Appreciated."

Artemis squirmed. "You can't leave, Kevin! You have so much to do, so many things to accomplish!"

"But I must, Artemis. I can't call Japan home, no matter how much you or anyone else tries to convince me otherwise."

"So you're going to let some idiotic notion of patriotism get in the way?"

"This just isn't home." Kevin pursed his lips. "I don't know if it ever will be."

The automated voice of an airport official rang through the concourse, announcing the arrival of Kevin's early morning flight. The American leaned over to pick up his bag. "I guess I'll see you folks later."

Ami called out quietly. "And when will you be back, Bin-kun?"

Kevin hesitated, then replied softly. "When I understand myself and my powers better. When I have some answers for all the questions that are bouncing around my head."

Bitterly, Artemis exclaimed, "You won't find them in America. You won't solve your problems by running away from them."

The American gazed back just before entering the long connecting tube to the waiting airplane. "But it's the only way I know how."


	35. Epilogue

Epilogue

Nine years later

To her eyes, the Hikawa Jinja never changed, simply reveling in the majesty it had acquired when it was first built. The torii gates were still as red as they had always been, maintained by a judiciously applied coat of paint every summer. The gardens were perpetually lovely, no matter the season, because of tender care from the many priestesses who maintained them. It was a place frozen in time.

It was strangely empty. Even Rei was nowhere to be seen and just as well. Minako didn't much feel like talking to anyone, even her close friend.

She entered the garden, slowly retracing steps she had taken many years ago. The trees were still as delicately manicured as ever.

Minako had been surrounded with friends at the time, discussing the various merits of maintaining a constant watch over Tokyo a year after the defeat of Galaxia. It had ended unanimously against it, allowing the senshi to continue their lives in relative peace.

It had been that fateful moment, their collective willingness to put aside their senshi duties for a real life, that had changed her forever. She sighed.

In the weeks after he had left, she had held some lingering hope that it was all an elaborate practical joke. Kevin had always possessed a somewhat quirky sense of humor with regards to life, letting her sweat out the world's little inconsistencies with a ready smile and steady hand. When that hope evaporated, Minako had held onto the idea that he might call or send an email or something to keep in touch. She understood that he had a life to lead in America and that would entail some sacrifice on her part. But the girl had been completely willing to wait for him, to talk things out. Even with the falsity of Artemis's revelations revealed, Minako felt an attachment to the subdued American. They were kindred spirits, not the sort of thing you come across every day. And so she had waited. A silent year passed before she finally sacrificed the last of her hope.

High school passed, as did college at the University of Tokyo. Upon graduating, she had entered her father's profession and became the star analyst of her investment banking group. In three years time, she was promoted from analyst to associate, marking her ascent within the financial world.

The pay was tremendous, the work hours obscene, and the social life non-existent. But, the job challenged her daily to solve problems and address the needs of businesses across the world. Minako supposed that she had chosen the job because it would allow her the opportunity to avoid relationships as much as possible.

She hated him, missed him with all her heart. At times, in bed or at idle periods at work, she wondered how he was doing, then punished herself for even thinking that. It wasn't productive to pine over a man who had disappeared.

Minako rounded the last bend, to look at rear of the shrine itself. Still, every fall, she visited this place, holding onto the last feelings of romance she still held in her heart.

She was surprised to see a worshiper already there, bowing before the Shinto Gods within the inviolate shrine. She moved and knelt next to him silently. Bowing her head the requisite number of times, she closed her eyes and wished that the kami would grant her a productive and profitable work year and that it would continue to hold her family and friends in good health.

It was a long moment before she silently added another request of the kami, before rising to a sitting position.

The man beside her rose up slowly, weariness evident in his slow and pained movements. He had been there a long time and his joints had started to stiffen up on him. He turned his head in profile and for the first time, Minako got a glimpse of his face.

She gasped.

He was older, much older than nine years would have indicated. His face, before unique in its cherubic roundness, had grown more angular and haunted. Permanent stress lines had etched themselves into his forehead and near his eyes, giving him the faintest look of a madman. He was paler and thinner than she remembered, a sign that he had not spent the past couple of years healthily.

If he was surprised to see her, he managed to hide it behind his legendary poker face. His mouth twitched into a characteristic Kevin smile. "Minako-chan...I thought I might find you here."

Immediately, Minako threw up a disinterested facade. "Kevin-san. How have you been?"

It was neither a welcome nor an angry exclamation for him to go home. The coldness took him off guard, but he responded softly. "I have been doing well. How have you been?"

"Tolerable." Minako was at a loss for continued conversation. "Well, it's been nice catching up with you, Kevin. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around--"

He seemed to shrink into himself. "Okay. Perhaps dinner sometime?"

"Sometime." She gave him a superficial smile and got up to leave. As she turned her back to him, Kevin's hand snaked out and grabbed hold of her wrist.

He said in a quaking voice. "How stupid would I be if I let you leave me the same way I left you?"

Minako tugged at her arm, distress in her voice. "Let me go. I have a lunch appointment I simply can't miss."

"Stay, if only for a moment. Please, Minako-chan."

"Let go of me!" she shrieked and swung a fist at his head. He dodged it easily, but released her as he did. She leaped at him, trying to batter him with her fists. He was more agile than she remembered, picking off her blows with consummate ease.

He blocked one of her blows, catching her hand with his and then pulling her around in a stylized move. When Minako swung the other fist, she found both of her hands trapped against his body and herself helpless.

She sank to the grounf, sobbing uncontrollably. Gently, he released her arms and wrapped her in one of the warm hugs that she had so desperately desired for the past nine years.

It was a long time before they talked again. "Why did you leave me, Bin-kun?"

"It was time for me to go home, Minako-chan. You know that."

She almost smiled. "And the real reason?"

He chuckled into her ear. "Do you remember that night, Minako-chan?"

Wryly, "It was probably the worst night of my life. I may have an inkling."

"What was going through your mind when you found out who I was?"

Minako leaned back and nestled into his arms. "I remember thinking that it was just so obvious after the fact. And I thought that it would be neat to finally have someone...a guy who could understand the difficulty of having the powers that we are endowed with."

Kevin's voice grew hard. "I was thinking just about how I killed those three men. The looks on their faces when they died and just how good it felt to hold them in my hands and crush them.

"I was scared, Minako-chan. Scared of myself and what I was capable of. When Artemis came to the airport the next day, I knew that I had to cut off the source of temptation."

A hint of anger flooded her voice. "But you never called, never sent an email...a letter, not a goddamned thing!"

His voice was pained. "Minako-chan, it was an addiction for me. Whenever I transformed, I felt an amazing power rush through my veins. I needed to cut it off at the source."

"And that's why you didn't talk to me? For something that I didn't even do!" Her anger peaked.

Kevin replied in a placating voice. "Every time I saw your face or heard you speak, I would have been reminded of weakness of this form...of the perfection that I could become. How can anything that feels so good and so right be healthy?"

Minako stroked his arm absentmindedly. "That's what friends are for, Bin-kun. We could have helped you through it. We...I understand what you've gone through." She paused for a moment. "One thing I don't get though ...if I am such a temptation to you, why did you come back?"

"Because I couldn't live with my cowardice any longer, Minako-chan. Because I missed you terribly...and just wanted the chance to start over and be with you."

Coldly, "And what makes you think I'd wait nine years for you?"

Kevin replied in a slightly annoyed voice. "I meant, I just want to be your friend again. Is that too much to ask?"

Minako shook her head then let a full smile cross her face. "I'd like that."

The American rose slowly and helped her up along with him. On an impulse, Minako stuck her hand in his face. "Hi! I'm Minako Aino!"

Kevin chuckled and took it firmly. "Kevin. Kevin Zhi."

With an idiotic humor, "So what are you doing in Japan, Bin-kun? May I call you Bin-kun? Such a cute nickname!"

"That it is. I'm actually working as a vice president of marketing over at NTT DoCoMo. This is a long-term station, so I expect to be here for a while. Pray tell, Minako Aino, what do you do?"

"Investment banking. Working with capital markets and stuff."

Kevin made a sour face. "Dreadful profession. I did that right after college...not much fun at all."

The blonde smiled impishly. "Girl's gotta make a living, right?"

"I suppose. What are you doing this evening, Minako Aino? Perhaps I could take you out to dinner?"

Her face fell. "No, I have to meet a client for dinner tonight." Minako's face brightened. "But I have time for a long lunch if you're up to that."

Kevin sounded betrayed. "You said you had a meeting!"

"I lied. Get used to it. We do it all the time."

The American laughed heartily and extended his elbow. "Thanks for the warning."

Minako threaded her arm through his, then let it slide down and hold his hand. She gave him a warm smile. "So do you know anywhere good to eat around here?"

"It's been a long time since I've been in Tokyo or the Juuban district...but I seem to remember a small cafe and arcade a short while away from here. Called the Crown Arcade I think. Ever heard of it?"

She giggled. "Once or twice. Let's go exploring!"

The last vestiges of morning light were eradicated as the noon sun began to rise over the cityscape of Tokyo. The light flooded through the multicolored trees unevenly, shedding a thousand shades of red and yellow and orange over the pair. A bunch of leaves detached themselves from a sudden gust of wind and pinwheeled their way through the temple grounds.

They engulfed the pair, blinding them temporarily with a dazzling rainbow of colors. The blonde laughed merrily and charged headlong into them, calling back for her friend to follow and leaving the fresh smell of fall in her wake

The man did so ruefully, chasing her as best he could, unable to see past his own fingertips.

All was right with the world.


End file.
